RWBY: Grimm Reaper Vol II
by jeit93
Summary: Beacon has fallen. Pyrrha is dead. The powers of the Fall Maiden are in Cinder's possession. I could not fulfill my mission and Remnant pays the consequences. Now, I have another mission that I cannot fail: protect the rest of the Maidens and ensure the safety of the relics. To do this, my path leads to Mistral, where the first clue is to start saving the world.
1. Just another day in a dangerous trip

**What's up, dear followers? Missed me? Because I missed you!**

**This is your favorite ficker, jeit93, back from my five months break and ready for resume my duties to narrate the misadventures of Kaiden Noir and co.**

**I've been using this time to enjoy the holidays, work on my the novel I'm working on and catch up with some games like Kingdom Hearts 3, Borderlands 3 and Resident Evil 2.**

**I hope this new volume be as exciting as the previous one while we recover from Vol 7 finale… that ending… Holy mother of twerking Jesus!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1.

Just another day in a dangerous trip.

-o-

The road stretched as far as the eye could see between the grove. Sound of my footsteps was accompanied by the gentle trill of birds on the branches along with soft whisper of the wind between the leaves.

The agreement was simple: eliminate the Grimm that besieged the only source of water in the town of Xiangan. According to what they told me, it all started with a dispute that originated there weeks ago by travelers who took their quarrel to that point and attracted the beast. Since then they have had to organize in groups to repair the water pump that supplied the purification plant that was in town, but always someone was seriously injured before they could finish the task and had to return to safety in the town walls. That affected them in the economy and, therefore, the Lien they had to hire a huntsman. They could not get a professional to handle the problem without being ruined.

And that's where I come in.

As soon as the clerk at the inn noticed my weapons, she called the mayor to make the request. My payment: free stay and provisions for the trip. What an offer.

After a break after walking all day and getting my equipment ready the next day, I left the town walls and followed the path indicated to the lake.

It took me about 15 minutes to dazzle the sun's shine on the surface of the water. The aquifer was immense with the stony floor as clear as glass. I approached the shore and put my hand in the water before bringing it to my mouth. The water felt so good cooling my throat compared to the bottle water they gave me at the inn.

On one side of the lake was the water pump. From what they told me, it was only necessary to replace the voltage regulator, align the connectors that took the power of an electric dust glass and start the starting sequence indicated in the manual they had given me.

Everything was going well. The dust glass was in good condition, so it was just to replace the voltage regulator and start the device. Everything went down when I removed the damaged part.

I don't know if it was a sixth sense (or the distrust that I had acquired when everything was going too well) that put me on alert when a white-colored tentacle fell towards me. I moved aside in time to avoid the blow and unsheathed Requiem. The tentacle, perceiving that it had not caught me, returned to the lake and something else emerged.

As the villagers told me, in the lake there was a Deepdeath, an aquatic-type Grimm in the shape of an squid with red eyes, white tentacles and a black head like tar. Possibly the creature had been in one of the underground rivers that flowed there before being attracted by the negative emotions of travelers and changing residence.

The good news was that it was only one. The bad news was that I had no idea how to deal with one. It just reminded me of the name since Port had bored me at that point in the class and I was just playing tic tac toe with Nora.

I drew Samaritan and fired a quick round at the Grimm, but the skin was too resistant to the point of bouncing the bullets on impact. Another tentacle pounced at me, dangerously about to hit the water pump. Realizing the danger of damaging the device, I ran in the opposite direction on the shore of the lake as I continued firing to attract its attention. I could use the electric dust that was in my gauntlets and electrocute the squid, but it was difficult with the tentacles going after me besides that I didn't want to stay in the water when the electricity was flowing.

Another long limb fell close to me, so I proceeded to give him a cut. However, the blade of my sword had no effect when slipping on the white surface. Obviously the piece of takoyaki did not like this and managed to strike me a blow that threw me several meters back.

By the time I opened my eyes, I saw that the tentacle descended upon me. By mere instinct, I held my sword tightly and threw an upward cut to repel the attack, but I achieved something better when the limb broke in two and the lake was disturbed with the Deepdeath twisting in pain. Maybe the severed part could not be used for a ceviche, but it also allowed me to realize something I had not noticed before. While the upper part was slippery, it was rough below, like when you wet your hands for a long time, and apparently more sensitive to damage.

More tentacles emerged from the water, ready to avenge the severed limb. Everyone fell on me while I dodged each attack and tried to reduce their number. The Grimm had learned from his mistake by changing his tactic to attacks from the sides with the slippery surface of the tentacle going towards me. The speed with which they swayed were such that I could not make a clean cut after dodging. Every time I waved my sword, for mere centimeters I couldn't cause further damage.

I dodged once again another onslaught when something curled into my leg and threw me through the air before another tentacle held me with my right arm. Slowly the Deepdeath attracted me to its open mouth, ready to have a delicious snack with me on the menu.

The grip was too strong and I couldn't move Requiem at an angle that would allow me to cut and free myself, so I let go of the sword and caught it with the other hand before drawing a cut and amputating another tentacle. From there it was free fall towards the Grimm, which screamed in pain from its other lost limb. I took an igneous crystal from one of my pockets and threw it hard into my mouth. When the red rock had already entered, I fired with my gun several times to have the expected effect and the squid exploded from the inside. The force of the explosion was so potent that it threw me back to the shore of the lake with the remains of the Grimm falling around before fading away. I lay on the ground catching my breath before standing up and scanning the surroundings in case the Deepdeath has attracted more company, but it didn't happen in the remaining minutes and I returned with the water pump.

The voltage regulator changed without incident and I made sure the electric dust was properly placed before starting the start. I activated the switches in the order indicated in the manual and the mechanism woke with a loud roar before just letting out a soft purr. I raised my arms in victory as I accomplished my mission.

As agreed, I took a flare out of my pocket that had been supplied to me and lit it. The projectile rose to the sky and exploded with a cloud of green dust to indicate that everything had gone well. Seconds passed before the first sign that the Grimm wouldn't approach that area in a good time: the shouts of joy coming from the town.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When I first arrived in the town of Xiangan, I could breathe an atmosphere of sadness, not having enough water for their daily needs and for those who were seriously injured or killed while trying to repair the water pump previously due to Deepdeath. That day, with the signal of the flare that I launched into the sky, people were filled with new life.

When I passed through the settlement gates, people were already there to receive me. The streets filled with people who took out chairs and tables and the air began to fill with aromas that filled the mouth of saliva just thinking about what they prepared.

The water purification plant was already in operation again and people were already drinking the water they could after who knows how long to be rationing the liquid austerely.

People approached me to thank me for saving their people, shaking my hand with such force that they almost dislocated my arm.

When night fell, the entire town became a party with the laughter and the murmur of the people who were now more lively and making plans to put a guard post on the lake to be safer.

As much as I wanted to just sit back and enjoy the atmosphere, people arrived with food dishes they had prepared and glasses with their drinks. Maybe someone had believed that I was of legal age because they gave me a lemonade that apparently had a certain degree of alcohol. Either this last one or being in a good mood, I related my encounter with the beast of the lake before the astonished gaze of all.

It was already midnight when I retired to bed and ventured into another part of my day to day that I was used to: nightmares.

_I was in the conference room in Beacon. The room looked the same as before the fall of the institution. Daylight came through the windows that were behind me and illuminating the place. The long wooden tables along with their chairs were empty without someone to use them except me._

_"Today's lesson is the skills that a true Huntsman has to show," Port's incorporeal voice was heard all over the place, without giving any indication of where the man was. "Can anyone say any?"_

_"A Huntsman must protect," Pyrrha appeared next to me. On his chest was the arrow that had pierced her chest that night._

_"A Hunstman should not abandon whoever needs it most," Ruby appeared on the other side. His silver eyes stared at me coldly with tears slowly coming down his cheeks._

_"A Huntsman must keep his promises," Jaune appeared in front of me with his sword drawn._

_"Do you still consider yourself worthy?" the three said in unison in a sepulchral choir._

_"No," was the only thing I could whisper._

_Jaune then raised his sword and swung it at me. Before the weapon blade cut my neck, I returned to the waking world._

On previous occasions I woke up startled and sweating, but now I just opened my eyes and wiped my sweat. I had already become part of my trip. Maybe I didn't have nightmares every night but it was often. Sometimes I was in Beacon's tower and watched Pyrrha die, no matter how many times I ran to her. In others I tried to comfort a sobbing Ruby whom I couldn't touch or talk to. Each of my nightmares reminded me of what I had done and what I had failed. However, on each occasion I just grabbed my things and went on my way.

The morning was in full swing when I lined up my belongings and left the room. The innkeeper gave me my share of the deal, being provisions for the road, a bit of guidance and directions to get to Lotam, which was 3 days away.

When I went out to the street, people were fixing up after last night's festivities. Some greeted me and said goodbye as I headed to the exit of the town in the direction of my next destination.

Once I passed through the doors of Xiangan, I resumed my journey to Mistral and towards my next hunt.

* * *

**I know this chapter was short, but it's just a warm up for what's coming up in the next chapters.**

**See ya!**


	2. Lotam

**Alright. Who wanted for more?**

**Somehow I managed to complete this chapter since these weeks have been a total parade of shit! Thankfully there is nothing better than writing to let out some steam.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2: Lotam

-o-

After weeks of traveling, I had finally reached my first destination: Lotam. The night was falling when I arrived, so the first thing I had to do was look for an inn where I could stay before paying my respects to my grandfather the next morning.

The place looked peaceful, with the streets lit with lanterns and some businesses that were closing while others began their services. According to the indication of one of the inhabitants, the village inn was more inside the settlement.

I found the inn without problems, but it was also my surprise to see that it was in front of a small square where a statue that I recognized from Alice's memories was erected. A man stood proudly resting his sword on the ground while a calm smile was displayed on the man's metallic face.

"Hi, grandpa," I muttered before heading to the inn.

The interior was cozy, with the smell of food coming from the kitchen and the lively talk of people filling the place. The first floor served more to attend to those who were going to hang out, while some stairs led to the upper level where it was supposed to lead to the guest rooms.

I approached the bar, where there was a burly man attending a group of men.

"Good evening, I would like to request a room for one night," I said sitting on a bench.

"25 lien the room," the man replied while cleaning a jar.

Unable to protest the price, I put the cash in the bar and he took it.

"Lory!" He called one of the waitresses. "Prepare room 3!"

"Ok, Buck!" A slender woman with coppery hair responded.

"Do you want something to eat in the meantime, boy?" Buck offered me. "Tonight we have stew that my wife prepared. For our marriage certificate I am obligated to say that everything she cooks is a delight, but it is really good."

"If you say so, I don't see why not."

"Lin! A plate of stew!"

"In a moment~" a woman answered from the kitchen in a singing voice.

"Something to drink?"

"Water, if it's not bother."

Feeling the cold water coming down my throat was a relaxing sensation after spending the whole day walking and with my canteen almost empty.

"Where do you come from? It is not very common to see travelers of your age wandering these directions and less with these uncertain times."

"Vale," I said after taking another sip of water.

Buck looked me up and down from behind the bar.

"Perhaps you ..."

"Yes, I was in Beacon."

"I see. I imagine you're heading to Haven to continue your studies."

"You can say that."

"What's your name, boy?"

"Kaiden."

"Ha!" one of the men at the bar laughed. His red face and the way he slurred the words was a clear sign that he was not drinking orange juice. "I already said you were familiar. You fought in the Vytal Tournament last year. Thanks to you I won several bets."

"I'm glad," I tried not to talk much to the drunk man.

"But it was certainly the worst Vytal Festival in history. I can't believe Ironwood put a damn robot in the form of a girl. He's definitely crazy."

My body tensed at those words. Suddenly, I wanted to hit that big mouth at that moment, but instead I just clenched my fists and kept myself in my place.

"Surely Vale was a disappointment with that girl who broke that boy's leg when the fight was over. What the hell did they teach that girl? Surely she was insane or something."

"Shut up," I grunted.

"That?"

"I said shut up. You don't know anything about what happened."

"You don't like what I said? Well, come here and make me to take it back."

I jumped off the bench and headed towards the man, who was looking at me with a mocking look as he stood up and staggered like a spinning top.

"I don't want fights at my inn," Buck warned. "Sully, stop bothering the boy. Boy, ignore him. Sully is a pain in the butt when he's like this."

"Okay," I sighed, turning around to return to my seat, deciding to forgive this man.

"I understand that it bothers you. I bet you had your eyes on that girl. After all, she had a pair of big tits-"

Sully hadn't finished the sentence when my fist hit his face. The 1.80 meter man was lifted from his chair and fell to the ground a distance away. When he raised his head, a waterfall of blood descended from his nose.

"Little piece of shit," Sully muttered with a nasal sound. "Guys, get him him!"

The room was filled with the sound of moving chairs and several men, both stocky and chubby, looked at me with murderous eyes as they approached me.

"Good," Buck's voice called us. "If you want to fight, do it outside. The tables have just been varnished today and I want them to stay in good condition until the day I die."

For someone drunk, Sully moved quickly from being on the floor to grab me by the collar of the jacket.

"You already heard the man," he said with an alcoholic stench, hitting me fully against my face. "Let's play outside. Barry, if you do me the honors..."

The aforementioned Barry opened one of the windows before being thrown through it. There would have been no problem if I had fallen on soft grass, but instead I fell on hard concrete concrete while a group of 8 men, with Sully in the lead, left the inn. Several curious people came to see why a 17-year-old boy had just been thrown into the street and was harassed by a group of adult men.

I barely stood up when the first rushed in my direction me, fist raised, and threw the first punch. I dodged it without problems, grabbing his arm and sweeping his foot to make him lose his balance and fall. Another didn't wait his turn and approached me from behind, letting out a war cry shortly after grabbing me. With a hit from my elbow, the man fell to his knees with a gasp as I drew his breath.

And more began to lunge to the attack and each one was shot down with a blow or two from me. They even started attacking me several at the same time, but they began to give up by unleashing my semblance. As soon as they noticed the darkness moving at my will, several of the subjects turned pale and gradually retreated.

"What's wrong with you, little girls? It's just a boy," Sully reprimanded them.

"He's too fast," one cried.

"Didn't you see that dark stuff?" Another spoke. "No way I mess with that. Bad juju."

"Move, lots of little girls," Sully roared with her nose still stained with blood. "He's just a boy."

"But a boy who has a semblance of fear that is kicking our butt," one shrieked.

Sully snorted, exasperated.

"Well, I will do it myself."

The big man approached with clenched fists, ready for another round. I relieved the tension in my neck, moving it slowly while I felt my bones pop and stood on my guard to sum up my fight.

Before the next blow could be launched, a roar interrupted the tranquility of the night followed by a cry of terror that was replicated like gasoline in a fire. A man emerged from the buildings, running as if his life depended on it... which was true since a beowulf followed him behind. The man stumbled and shouted as the beast pounced on him.

I acted as fast as I saw the Grimm. I suspended what should be my first canteen fight and ran in the direction of the attack. With a quick hand movement, a dark pike emerged from the ground and impaled the overgrown wolf.

The moment of satisfaction of eliminating another Grimm was short-lived when the sound of the screams of terror and several inhuman howls were heard in the distance. Things were going to get worse.

I unsheathed Requiem, who remained silent as the last months, and drew Samaritan. I took a deep breath before launching into the attack.

The monsters came in droves. Each time one fell more they appeared to take their place, which became tired as much as I fought. Such fatigue was affected so that I didn't notice a sabyr that was pouncing on me.

I was already preparing for the onslaught when, suddenly, the Grimm was intercepted by a huge steel ball that hit it full in the head and threw into the side of a house, where it began to fade. Following the chain attached to the colossal piece of metal I found Sully.

"I am the mayor of this town," he roared in anger. "No miserable Grimm will enter and destroy it while I live."

I don't know what left me most stunned: the agility with which the man (even being drunk) moved the steel ball, or the fact that the person to whom I had punched the face was the mayor of the place.

Looking around, I could see that there were still people in the streets still infested with Grimm, but there were also several who were armed and united is small groups to defend themselves against beasts. Some were with pikes, machetes and hoes that they used to attack. Apparently, the most extravagant weapons were Sully's and mine, but that was no excuse for not fighting.

With the assistance of the defenders of Lotam, the Grimm were disappearing one by one until there was none in sight. Silence fell while everyone checked the damage of that night.

I was shedding my weapons when I heard the terrified voice of a woman.

"Ishi ?! Yumi ?!" she screamed with her eyes moving quickly looking everywhere. "Where are they?"

"Maya, what's wrong?" An old woman approached the woman, taking her hands to calm her.

"My children," she responded to the edge of hysteria. "They should have come back from looking for firewood but I can't find them."

"Do you know where they went?" I interrogated her.

"They usually go to the grove that is to the east. They like to go over there and rest in the creek." His eyes filled with tears, "Please, someone who finds them. If those Grimm finds them ..."

The mother didn't finish the sentence, but I already had an idea of what she meant.

"I will go for them," I declared decisively. "If they were on their way when the attack occurred, they should not be far away."

"Please, bring my children," the woman couldn't take it anymore and collapsed in tears.

Seeing her like this caused a lump to form in my throat. A mother desperate for the return of her children. That made me wonder if my mother, Mary, was in the same situation, waiting for her to arrive in Aztlan safely.

I ran to my backpack that was still in the inn and supplied myself with what I might need in the forest: ammunition, dust for my gauntlets, and my mask with its night vision function. From there, I ran in the direction indicated above, begging that I could still rescue those children.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I swayed the trees using the cables of my gauntlets, paying attention to any sound that could give me a clue about the whereabouts of the above-mentioned Ishi and Maya. My frustration grew more as I advanced and found nothing.

My mind was racing. On the one hand, it focused on maintaining the rhythm of firing and retracting the cables, but it also kept thinking about the possible scenarios of children's destiny. I even thought I wouldn't find them.

It was then that I heard a small noise. A faint scream of terror on my left. I stopped dead and kept silent.

Again.

I changed my course towards the origin of the sound.

It was an open space. A stream that shone in the moonlight crossed the landscape and was lost in the distance with a soft whisper that was overshadowed by the whining of a child.

Between the stream and where the forest began lay a dead tree whose trunk stood as if trying to reflect how his past life was. A horde of beowolves surrounded the piece of wood, expectant and staring at what was once full of leaves. Among the dead branches were two bipedal figures: A boy, perhaps 9 years old, clung tightly to his older sister, who'd be around 13.

The girl caressed the boy's blond hair to calm him down, but I knew she was also terrified of his situation, which was like an aphrodisiac for the Grimm that would attract more; as Nora to a competition of eating pancakes.

The wolves swirled at the foot of the dead tree. One left the formation and rammed the trunk, shivering its surface and almost knocking down the humans that were above, with these giving another cry of terror. The other wolves howled at another failure and the attacking beowulf returned with his pack, growling angrily. The trunk looked tough, but I didn't know how long it would stand. The impact had shaken it strongly and he had almost taken the children off balance.

It was another blow that put me on alert. A larger wolf rammed the tree, as did its sequins, but this time it was different. The branch on which the girl leaned broke, making her back away towards the ground. Of pure miracle it was possible to hold of another branch, but now it hung dangerously a few meters from the beasts that waited for it with anxiety on the ground.

The pack moved closer and closer, waiting for the arrival of its snack; like those times when one sees that the piñata starts to break and the bloodthirst blooms while preparing the bag for candy.

The boy rushes to take his sister's arm and tries to pull her back to the only safe place they had at hand, but the weight is too much for both of them. They were already rushing to the ground when I ran to his aid, using my semblance to cushion their fall and throw them back to the bald treetop.

The beowolves seemed confused at the unexpected dinner cancellation, which gave me the advantage of taking the first blow. I jumped on one, burying the blade of my knife in his neck before jumping before it vanished and landed next to the trunk.

"Ishi? Yumi? "I called them in my voice slightly distorted by my mask.

"Yes?" I managed to hear the fearful voice of the girl.

"I'm Kaiden. Your mom sent me to look for you."

"Are you a huntsman?" The boy asked.

Let's see, my first year of study in Beacon was terribly affected several times by a Grimm looking for me to consume my soul, a too close encounter to death followed by a severe case of amnesia, an evil hipster who crashed a train in the middle of Vale, and an anarchist bitch that made Ragna betray us to destroy the academy. Licensed huntsman, no. Huntsman trainee, yes. But obviously it wasn't going to destroy that boy's hopes.

"Yes," I said, which was almost true if I omit 'trainee'. "Stay up there while I take care of this."

"Ok!", I got as answer from above.

I kept my eyes fixed on the pack of beowolves, all watching me with red eyes shining bloodthirsty. From the corner of my eye I could see that several moved slowly out of my field of vision, clearly knowing that I would have to focus on one while the other took the opportunity to attack. It would have to be fast, since once one launched the attack, the rest of the group would follow.

Tension predominated in the air, ready to explode as a powder in any moment. My heart was beating like a drum pedal in a power metal song. I remembered Winter's teachings: hold my weapons tightly, keep my breath steady and always be alert. Forgetting one of these could mean death; both for me and for the boys above the tree.

**[Play "Let's just live", Casey Lee Williams]**

I was alert when I heard the heavy sound of footsteps on the ground. I quickly turned to face the Grimm that pounced on me, hitting several shots before it faded away. I understood my mistake when another joined the fray while dodging while stabbing him with Requiem. Without giving me a chance to give myself a second rest, several more entered the fight.

Everything became a chaos of blows, shots, claws, fangs and darkness produced by my semblance while trying to dispatch all the Grimm that I could. My despair grew more and more with each beast that was integrated into the fight. My aura decreased with every blow I received, but I could not falter in that place. There were still many things to do before giving my last breath.

For a moment the onslaught of wolves ceased, but it didn't last long before my side exploded in pain before slamming hard against the tree's trunk. As I caught my breath, my heart stopped when I heard screams coming down as I watched the children fall. My body moved alone, rushing the distance between where I fell and where the brothers would fall.

I was barely in time to catch them and avoid getting hurt, not like my aura that should already be at critical levels. As soon as I made sure I caught them, I quickly combined my semblance with ice dust to create a wall that could give me time to recover.

"Are you OK?"

"Yes," the girl replied. "But you..."

"I can still fight," I declared as I stood up, feeling my body complaining of pain. Even so, I couldn't let my guard down as the Grimm were already beginning to besiege the barrier with several cracks spreading over the dark surface.

"I will bring you back to the tree and keep the Grimm away from you," I explained calmly. "Still, I need them to hold on tight if they start crashing into the log again."

They both nodded, but because of the way they trembled with fear, I didn't think they could do it. I unbuttoned my cape and gave it to Yumi.

"Use it to tie the branches and stay up, but take good care of it. It's a gift I can't afford to lose."

Both seemed a little calmer, but fear still didn't leave their eyes. So, I used my semblance to lift them to the dead tree, finding a crowded space of branches where they secured themselves with the cape tying them together.

They barely tied the knots when the wall collapsed, with several beowolves shaking off the remains of ice in their dark fur. Among them stood out a more prominent figure: an alpha. I wasn't surprised that the huge wolf was there, but that it would have taken so long to put its snout into combat. Perhaps it was due to considerably reducing the number of the pack.

That was a good opportunity to turn the odds in my favor, since if I managed to end the alpha, the rest of the pack would fall out of control without a leader and I could eliminate them more quickly.

I charged the Grimm, but I was interrupted with several smaller wolves attacking my sides. I killed them quickly, but those few seconds were enough to distract me and receive a blow from the back. I stumbled but stood on my guard again, in time to counter another assault of the Beowolves. The same thing happened: I was attacked in my blind spot when defending myself.

I shuddered to realize what the leader of the pack was doing: he was sending several of his followers to certain death just to get him the distraction necessary to attack me. Even knowing this I couldn't do something about it with each attack I repelled before being caught again by my blind spot.

Once again I killed another small wave, now ready for the surprise attack of the alpha. I brandished my sword a crescent just after the last Grimm fell, in the direction of where I predicted the leader would be. The older Grimm was there? Yes. I managed to hit him? Nope The wretch caught my attacking arm with his fangs and lifted me off the ground to shake me like a rag doll. I tried to free myself using Samaritan, but I couldn't reach any chance of a good shot and I wouldn't be able to stab him, so I concentrated my aura on the electric dust stored in my gauntlet. The alpha roared in a combination of pain and rage, releasing my arm and throwing me several meters until I hit the tree again. Ishi and Yumi cried in fear over the branches that shook hard at the impact, but remained in place and safe for the moment.

I, in my case, could describe my state simply as 'screwed up'. My aura meter in my mask was blinking with an alarming red, which means that if I didn't move my ass at that time, I would be having a tea party with Pyrrha and Alice soon.

But it was simpler to think about it than to do it. My body was on the verge of collapse. I had not had time to rest since I arrived in Lotam, not even to eat. I took off my mask, feeling the night breeze caressing my sweat-soaked face. I was tired. I just wanted to rest.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.

What would have happened if I had stayed with Ruby in Patch? It was the same question he asked me every day after I started that trip. Maybe right now I would be preparing the table before dinner. Yang would probably have already requested a prosthesis for her arm, even if I hadn't gone to Atlas.

At that moment I would see Ruby's smile, which told me that everything would be fine. But that did not matter anymore. I went away from her. I abandoned her on a mission that I knew would be dangerous to involve her. And that is why I could not give up. Not there. Not at that time. I still had a lot to do.

Even feeling my body protesting, I stood up, put a coffee bean in my mouth and chewed it following Winter's breathing exercises. I would need all the energy and aura I could gather for what followed next.

It had become a habit to remember my fights, both won and lost, and learned from the mistakes I made. The more I remembered my encounter with Cinder and Ragna, the more my thirst for revenge against them grew. However, there were 3 clashes that I began to analyze carefully: the fight against Conner in Signal, when I stopped the jewelry thieves in Vale, and the night when I beat Qrow. Those three had something in common: incidents with the Overdrive. I thought that the technique he had used against the Soul Reaper had been a one-time thing, but in those fights it had resurfaced suddenly.

During my trip, I meditated on each incident. I was always in life and death fights. I also desperately sought more power to fight. And, most importantly, I didn't breathe. For some reason, breathing seemed to be a determining factor in activating that power. Based on this I started a training to improve my breathing capacity, such as diving in a lake that I found or the classical meditation under a waterfall. The best I could have been two minutes and 15 seconds, but to that I take away the fact that in combat I would have to be on the move and fighting as long as I received no attack. Probably just over a minute if I was lucky. However, I had no idea of this since I had not put that to the test… until that moment.

I closed my eyes and I concentrated on looking for that piece of power asleep inside me. I could hardly find it, almost nonexistent inside me. Ceasing my breathing, I visualized myself lighting my aura with that power using my aura like a spark to light a fire. The first few times I didn't succeed until I could feel a burning layer spread through my body. When I opened my eyes, my body seemed to be surrounded by a dark flame, the product of my burning aura.

I only could feel power.

Pure power.

The fatigue was gone and I felt great strength inside me, ready for the second round.

I had little time while holding my breath, so I charged against the alpha. Several wolves came out to meet me, but I quickly eliminated them with some sword movements. My arm moved with extraordinary precision. Each movement was done as I wanted it and my sword felt like a feather. Others left their positions, which succumbed a quick burst of shots.

The alpha seemed surprised, as much as I, by the great increase in attributes that I was experiencing, to the point that I send the whole pack against me.

I did not flinch. I just raised my hand and an impressive amount of spikes emerged from the ground that impaled the horde like skewers. The only one left was the leader, who seemed to look at me in shock at having screwed up all his little group of murderous puppies.

I raised my sword and pointed it in a sign of defiance. The wolf howled in rage and threw himself into the attack with great speed.

Unlike the other times, he could now avoid the attacks without problems and repel them with little effort. If the skin of the alpha were not so hard, I would have killed him in a short time. My knife tore the hairy chest of the Grimm, which responded with a blow that I barely evaded, but not before feeling a claw scratching my cheek.

I took my distance before receiving another attack, feeling the wound close quickly before bloodshed. The Overdrive that I was experiencing was much less wild than used with the Soul Reaper, but the regenerative abilities were almost on par. I just begged that he didn't have another encounter close to death after that.

One point against my newly developed ability was that I felt that I was drowning the longer I held my breath. The previous times I had tried, they were always in failure whenever I tried to breath, cutting the flow of aura and, with it, the energy circuit that ran through my body. Air and power: two things that I couldn't focus on at the same time. I even had to be careful about getting an injury, since a single breath could be fatal for me in that state.

The red eyes of the alpha beowulf and mine were fixed on the other. I almost reached my limit and the Grimm also seemed to be up to date.

We both left at the same time for one last crash. The wolf threw its claw in the direction of my face. With a small margin of distance I dodged it, cutting the tip with my blade. Before the Grimm could roar in pain, I already had my knife stuck from below his jaw and, giving a downward cut, I decapitated him with Requiem.

Silence reigned at night as he watched the Grimm fade away, joining the rest of his pack in nothingness. It is only the sound of the stream could be heard within walking distance.

I looked at the children who were still on the dead tree, looking at me in amazement as I hunted a full pack of beowolves. I raised a thumb in signal that everything was fine.

However, when I regained my breath and was about to warn them that they could already go down, my vision clouded. Suddenly I felt dizzy and my head was spinning. Before I knew it, my legs faltered and my face met the cold grass while my mind faded into black.

**[Song ends]**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well, I saw that coming.

Releasing a great deal of energy and holding your breath wasn't something one could do in combat and not suffer consequences. That's why I decided to use the Overdrive only on occasions that really required it. Perhaps when there would be a Grimm too powerful kill or to kill a bitch with the powers of the Fall Maiden. At least I hoped I wouldn't explode in fever like that time in Patch.

I could have been unconscious for an eternity before opening my eyes and meeting an unknown ceiling. My head ached as if I had combed my hair with a hammer and my body felt sore. Somehow, I already expected that. I just begged it not to last long.

I could hardly sit on the bed where I was resting and watched the room. It was small, with shelves with books and ornaments hanging on the wooden walls. On one side there was a window through which daylight entered with the refreshing spring breeze.

"I see you've woken up," a woman's voice spoke nearby.

In an chair next to the bed was an older woman. Her dark eyes watched me carefully from her wrinkled face. In his lap was something I recognized instantly: my locket.

"Tell me, young man," the woman spoke calmly, but firmly the woman while holding my locket with the light illuminating the emblem. "Where did you get this from?"

I reached out to try to take away my property, but the woman raised her arm so that I couldn't reach it.

"It's from my mother. She gave it to me as a child."

"And who is your mother?"

"Alice Noir."

The woman's eyes widened in surprise with a gasp, as if I had told an ancient secret. She closed her eyes with a soft sigh and looked at the pendant.

"My husband gave our daughter an identical one on her birthday."

Those words echoed in my mind, as if a memory were trying to resurface. A memory that was not mine.

"You have her face," the woman's voice broke as her lip trembled.

Looking at the woman well, I could appreciate several reasons I overlooked. That look. Those eyes. That round face. It was really like Alice.

"By any chance, you are..."

"Yes, my little one. I am Andromeda Noir, Edward Noir's wife and Alice's mother," the woman smiled at me with tears coming down her face. "But can you call me grandma."

* * *

**Unexpected meeting!**

**Kaiden finally arrived Lotam met his grandmother. What's gonna happen next?**

**Wait for the next chapter!**

**Lots of love!**


	3. Grandma's love

**What's up, followers?!**

**Missed me?**

**I'm back with the third chapter of your favorite fic.**

**Last time we met Andromeda Noir, Kaiden's grandma. How's gonna turn out this meeting? Let's see.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Grandma's love

-o-

I still remembered my grandparents; both by Mary and Nathaniel Azabache.

My maternal grandparents were good people. Humble, but with a love that cheered you up on bad days. However, my grandmother died when I was 6, with my grandfather following a few years later.

On the other hand, my paternal grandparents were wealthy. My grandfather was a retired teacher who spent part of his time in drinking. My grandmother took care of the house. She was also a good person, but somewhat elitist. If she didn't like something about you, she treated you differently from the rest. I think I fell from her grace when I decided to become a huntsman. I hadn't talked to them for several months before being accepted to Beacon, but I guess they still live in a city near Vale.

Now I found my biological grandmother, on Alice's part. She looked different from what I had seen from her memories, but her face was similar to my mother's.

I was surprised that she was still alive. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to meet her, but the average life of a person outside the kingdom is somewhat reduced; considering risks such as natural disasters, diseases, bandits, and of course, the Grimm. However, there she was: smiling at me with real joy as she overflowed in tears.

Suddenly she wraps me in her arms with a big hug. Even with my sore body, I didn't have the strength to complain and responded to the gesture, feeling a sweete fragrance of lavender and musk. That was so warm and soothing while her hand stroked my hair.

For a moment in months, I felt at peace ... at least until my stomach roared.

"Oh, my child," my grandmother released me at the sound. "You must be starving."

"Yes, I'm sorry," I felt sorry. "How long was I asleep?"

"Almost a day and a half," she said looking at a wall clock. "It's almost lunchtime. What do you think if I serve the food? A good conversation is better with something to go with it."

Before I could give my opinion about it, she had already risen from her chair and disappeared behind the door.

I got a feeling of nostalgia to see her act that way. It was almost the same as Alice, only she would have ordered me to stay still while she went for the food.

I took that time free of feelings to get up and stretch my legs. I held on my bed when my legs threatened to falter, but that didn't happen fortunately. I felt some discomfort when it came to walking, but nothing I couldn't handle.

On the shelves hanging from the walls were various objects, such as figures carved in wood, bird feathers as long as a book, etc. What struck me most was a photograph that was on a desk under the window. In it was loving parents together with a little girl. The man looked husky with a height that surpassed his wife by a head while she smiled at him with her dark-haired daughter in her arms. It was the first time I saw a picture of Alice as a child; Innocent and unaware of what would happen years later.

I approached the window, feeling the gentle breeze entering the room. The first thing I noticed was that it was not in the inn, since the building could be seen from a distance; which reminded me that I had to ask for a refund of the room I had not used.

I could hear the bustle of the people, who were moving on their lives despite the attack that happened before. The children played on the grass. Even one seemed to have grabbed a branch and wielded it as if it were a legendary sword.

Life went on.

The door opened behind me.

"Oh, you're up," my grandmother exclaimed when she saw me out of bed. "The food is ready. Lie down, you still have to regain strength."

I did as it was said. She put a small bed tray on my legs and on top served a dish whose contents smoked deliciously, whose smell made my stomach growl more and more.

"I hope you like my chicken stew."

Like? As soon as I took the first bite, my taste buds became frantic at the variety of flavors I felt.

During my trip I usually fed on nuts, bread and the occasional fruits of some tree that hit me on the road, because I had to be careful that the food I took did not expire. My food changed when I managed to reach some town and ate at an inn or post.

But nothing like what I was eating at the time.

"By your expression, I will say it was to your liking," my grandmother said with a slight smile.

"Honestly, yes," I replied swallowing another bite. "It's the best I have eaten in weeks."

"I see. Tell me, what are you doing in these parts and by yourself? It's very dangerous if you're not careful."

"I'm headed for Mistral. I have to get to Haven Academy and talk to Professor Lionheart. And you don't have to worry about me, Alice- I mean, mom has taught me to fight."

I felt that naming my mother made the room's atmosphere tense, as if they extracted almost all the air. I cursed my big mouth when I saw that my grandmother's face darkened with grief.

"You know what happened to her, right? What happened to my mother."

My grandmother nodded slowly.

"Since Edward passed away, our relationship became difficult. She insisted on following in his footsteps and that terrified me. I didn't want to lose someone else for the Grimm. I said several things that I regret even more and more when I lost all contact with her on day she went to Patch to study at Signal."

"Didn't you try to find her?"

"We told each other many things on our last day before she left," she lamented. "Even if I had found her, I was afraid she would still hate me. And I wouldn't blame her if she did."

"I don't think so. Every time I asked her about you, I always tried to hide her regret in her face."

"Perhaps. The only time I had any contact was seven years ago when I received a letter from her. She told me how regretful she was and that she was going through a difficult time. If I didn't receive a response from her, it meant that she..., "the woman fell silent, keeping the words I knew what they would be.

"For years I didn't know who she really was," I said, setting aside the almost empty plate. "Before I was born, Mom was marked by a Soul Reaper. When I was born, she feared for my safety and handed me over to a family that took care of me for several years until I met her again, for some joke of fate. Still hiding our relationship, she trained me for years until the Grimm attacked, taking her vital energy and marking me. Last year I faced it again and here I am, still alive."

Although I really died and was amnesiac, but I omitted that to avoid further hardship to my newly discovered grandmother.

"I see," my grandmother sighed, I think processing my words. Then a smile returned to his face, "Enough of me. Tell me about you. Do you have someone special? Any girl? Or boy? Unlike other grandmothers, I'm more open-minded."

I hesitated when answering. Ruby's face came to mind, but, at the same time, the feeling of regret.

"Well, yes, there is someone," I said closing my eyes and remembering the girl, even if that bright smile felt like a stab in my heart. "Her name is Ruby Rose. Oh, grandma. If you knew her, you would love her as much as I do. She is so sweet and kind. Something awkward, but she always strives to improve. She always dreams of being a great hunter with in the stories. When she smiled, you feel that everything will be fine. "

"You really love her. That's how I felt when your grandfather lived. He was the founder of Lotam and its protector from day one, always looking for ways to help everyone."

"Yes, I really love her," my words came out in a faint whisper.

"And where is she? Why isn't she with you?"

I knew that question would come sooner or later.

"We were both studying in Beacon when Vale was attacked. Many things happened that night: I lost friends; I lost my home. I knew that the authors of that massacre were posing as Haven students, so I'm on my way to trying to figure out how it was that was possible. However, I knew the trip was going to be difficult and her sister was still delicate after losing her arm after the attack. I didn't want her to be in danger because of me."

"You've been through a lot, my child," my grandmother watched me sadly. "You had to grow up too fast."

I shrugged, "This is the life of a huntsman."

"I know, and that's why I was opposed to your mother taking that path," she let out a tired sigh. "But I also understand one cannot ignore the call of duty. If your grandfather had done it, Lotam would no longer be here."

I remembered what I saw in my mother's memories: my grandfather going to face a stampede of Goliaths. He would have to turn to the Overdrive and sacrifice his life to save everyone. Now I had that power a little more controlled, but not enough if I wanted to have a chance when I faced Cinder or Ragna.

Someone knocked on the front door.

"Who will it be?" My grandmother grumbled, standing up and attending the visit.

"Hello, Mrs. Noir," I heard familiar voices. "Has he woken up?"

"A while ago. Come in."

A few steps rang out on the wooden floor and on the threshold were the two boys that night, Ishi and Yumi. They looked in good condition compared to when I faced the pack of beowolves.

"I think it's already known," my grandmother commented.

"Yes, and I'm glad you're well."

"That was so cool!" Ishi exclaimed running to the bed. "The way you fought with your sword! Wuu! Shaa! Then you used the shadows to end that Grimm! Fuush! When you fell, I thought it was fine but you got up with those black flames wrapping you like super saiyan! And-"

Before the boy could add more sound effects to his story, his sister covered his mouth.

"What my little brother means is that we thank you for saving us," she said with a bow; gesture that his Ishi imitated. "We had left the town to look for firewood when we decided to rest by the tree. We slept only to be awakened by the howl of the wolves, so we climbed quickly to the tree waiting for someone to save us. Thank you very much again"

"It's fine. It's a huntsman's duty."

"Are you really a hunstman?" Ishi interrogated. "You don't seem older than Yumi. How old are you?"

"17, and no. I'm not really a huntsman, but I studied in Beacon."

"Did you fight the night Vale was attacked? How many Grimm did you kill?" the great emotion that Ishi had was interrupted again by the censorship of his sister.

"Ishi, that's enough. Didn't you hear that he just woke up?" The girl rebuked her brother. "Sorry, he's always dreaming of being a huntsman. We came to see how you were and to deliver this to you."

Yumi opened the backpack that hung on her man and then took out my cloak.

"In what you slept, I washed it and sewed the tears it had. I hope it doesn't bother you."

"Thank you," I took the cape and stroked the cloth. And to think that it was previously in Ruby's hands when she prepared it for me as a birthday present.

"It's a great cloak! Who gave it to you?"

"Someone very special," I whispered, still stroking the soft cloth. "A girl with silver eyes."

I still didn't understand why I still wore that cape if it was a painful reminder of what I had left behind. The ones that I had abandoned. Maybe I did it to remind myself also of the burden that was on me and who had to do it, hoping they were safe at home.

I should have been absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't know they were talking to me until Ishi shook my shoulder.

"You're good?"

"Yes, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts."

"I think Kaiden is tired, Ishi. We'll let him rest," Yumi told his brother, driving him to the door.

"Awwww," the boy objected. "I wanted him to tell me about his adventures."

"It will be in other chance."

"Actually, maybe you can tell one or two stories," I said, unable to ignore the boy's disappointment.

"Yes!" Ishi's face filled with joy as he jumped to the other end of the bed.

"We don't want to bother you," Yumi said humbly.

"You don't," I assured her. "Besides, Ishi seems very interested in the many Grimm I've killed: Beowolves, beringels, behemoths, nagatinis ..."

"I don't know what those are but they sound great," Ishi seemed more excited.

"I'll bring cookies and join afterwards," my grandmother told us, apparently going to the kitchen.

"Okay," Yumi said taking a seat. "Just one story and we let Kaiden rest."

Because of the way Ishi nodded, it seemed that his head would be freed from his body from one moment to another.

"Now, what story can I tell you?" I thought for a moment until something came to mind, "Do you want to hear how it was that I was admitted to Beacon after saving a party from some Grimm?"

In the end they stayed for three stories.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I stayed in Lotam for a few more days. My body improved the next morning and I was able to help my grandmother a little at home in several chores. She refused, obviously because she considered me her guest, but I did it anyway. I fixed the roof leaks, moved some furniture, accompanied her to do the shopping, anything to repay the kindness she was giving me.

When I went out to town, people greeted me as if I had lived there all my life. Maybe it was because I was Andromeda and Edward Noir's grandson, or because I had defended the place the other night. I felt welcome anyway. On many villages that I passed by I had been treated like a stranger, with a little suspicion when talking to someone. The attitude changed a little when they had a Grimm problem that they needed me to take care of.

Ishi had apparently told the other boys the stories I shared, since there was now a game called "The Grimm Reaper against the Grimm," which consisted of someone defending something (be it cookies, candy or other children) from who would interpret the Grimm. The one who was playing Grimm Reaper had to wear something like a cape.

I met Lotam Mayor Sully Bams again. His personality being sober was totally different from when I arrived. He was more courteous and polite than when he was drunk; not like Qrow, who was a jerk at all times. He showed up at the house to thank me for helping defend Lotam, save Ishi and Yumi, and apologize for his attitude at the inn.

Yes, my brief stay in Lotam was quiet and without eventualities. However, there was still a road ahead and I still had something to do before I left.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The day before I left, I woke up early to go with my grandmother to the market and buy what was necessary for the meal that day. As always, she protested when I paid for everything but I still did it to help her. Before returning home, we made a quick stop at the flower shop.

A breakfast and coffee later, we headed to the cemetery of Lotam.

I felt nervous when I was at the entrance, with the amount of tombstones raised on the ground to indicate each deceased person in the town. My grandmother noticed this, so she took my hand and, with a soft smile, accompanied me along the barely visible path between the graves.

Several were old, with the engravings in stone that began to be illegible by the passage of time. Others looked more recent, among which there were some made me feel a lump in my throat to see that the dates of birth and death were too close.

My grandmother moved swiftly between the stones with epitaph without seeing the names written to guide herself; giving me a clear idea of the many times she traveled the same route.

Suddenly, we stopped and in front of us was a tombstone.

EDWARD NOIR.

DEAR HUSBAND, FATHER, HUNTSMAN AND FOUNDER OF LOTAM.

I hesitated when I read the legend in the grave, but, with a soft pat on the back, my grandmother nodded to me that it was time for what I had first come to town.

"Hello, honey," she spoke sweetly. "As I promised you, I am back and I bring someone special. He is Kaiden. Son of our Alice. Our grandson."

Breathe deeply.

"Hi, grandpa. It's nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you from my mother. I even know what you did to protect everyone and you have all my admiration. You could protect the people you loved, unlike me." I could barely contain my emotions. "I couldn't help Yang losing her arm. I couldn't save Pyrrha. The only way I could avoid losing someone I love only caused me to hurt her."

My tears overflowed from my eyes and I held the bouquet of flowers tightly against me.

"I ask you to give me your strength and wisdom for the road ahead. I want to prevent another kingdom from having the same destiny as Beacon, but the truth is that I don't know how to do it. The more I think about it, the more I feel it is Too much for me. But I still have to keep going. I can't falter in my mission. I can't afford that."

I felt that my grandmother stood near me and took my arm, giving me her unconditional and powerful grandmother support.

"I have more than one reason to fight," I declared putting my hand on his, feeling his rough, but warm skin. "For my friends. For my family. For Ruby. For those who are now with you. If someone, be it human, faunus or Grimm, dares stand before me, I will face them with their heads up. Because I am the son of Alice Noir, grandson of Edward and Andromeda Noir, and a proud Huntsman of Beacon. Just like you. "

"He looks so much like you, Edward," my grandmother's voice filled with feeling. "He is determined, kind and brave, just like you when we met."

"I was educated by a great woman who sacrificed her happiness for me, who, in turn, was educated by two great people."

I approached the grave, left the flowers and put my hand on the cold surface of the stone.

"I will never forget your sacrifice, grandfather. Your fighting spirit will live in every person in Lotam and with me," I whispered in an oath. "Tell mom I miss her."

With those last words, I felt that a weight on my shoulders was fading and my eyes widened more on the long road that I still had to go.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

My last afternoon in Lotam came silently as the sun went down.

After going to the cemetery, we returned to the house, saw several photo albums, we cried a little more before lunch. After that, I felt a little more at peace. Yes, I still had to find Muramasa to repair Requiem before going to Mistral, but I didn't want to think about that for the moment and enjoy the present.

In what dinner was prepared, I sat on the bench that was in the garden of the house and began to contemplate in the incoming night sky with its stars that began to shine. I insisted on helping in the kitchen, but my grandmother insisted on doing it, threatening to not make me cookies for dessert. I spent 17 years without trying the cookies she prepared and there was no fucking way to have them taken away now. I only ate one and felt my taste buds melting.

I took a deep breath, feeling the fresh, clean air of that part of Anima. It was totally different from that of Aztlan, Vale and Atlas, since there was no garbage in the streets or someone emitting smoke.

I was going to miss that place even though I was only a few days. The time I was with my grandmother had been the best I had had in months since Beacon fell. How much time had passed? 5 or 6 months? Every day I spent on that trip seemed fast when there was no incident or Grimm to face, but slow when I had to fight for my life. I should have been a little over a month and a half since I arrived on the continent and I didn't know how long it would take me to arrive and meet Professor Lionheart.

But, as they say, where you are going is not what matters, but the trip. I had learned so much during that time. Things I had just seen in class and had already experienced in my own flesh. Luckily, Port's survival lessons had been helpful. I used every stream to wash my clothes and also catch something to eat, as well as refresh my feet after so much walking. I think my only problem was having to hunt, since I once caught a rabbit, but I had to let it go, as it reminded me of Velvet and the idea of eating something that looked like her felt somewhat disturbing. Despite that, every day that passed was like another test for myself to forge myself as a true huntsman.

Still, I felt lonely on every path I took. Sometimes I started to imagine what it would be like to be on that trip with my friends. Yang would probably be bored not having Grimm to fight. Weiss would surely be scolding Yang for the above. Blake would be with his head in a book, just to look up to see his teammates, discussing as always, before reading further. Nora will be climbing each tree that could in a competition imposed only by her and that no one else follows. Ren would be ... well, Ren. Jaune would be telling us one of his many anecdotes he has about his sisters. Pyrrha would be with him and laugh at his stories, no matter how silly they are. And Ruby ... sigh, she would be by my side, taking my hand and smiling at me with those eyes that drove me crazy.

Sadly, none of them was with me at that time. One of them could no longer. I took the mission of protecting the maidens and the relics for the good that were still alive, no matter what that left me out of their lives. Even so, it was hard for me to endure that loneliness after finally feeling in family with them.

The sound of footsteps brought me back to the world, with Yumi approaching with a basket in her arms.

"Good evening, miss. Is it okay to walk so late alone? Perhaps a Grimm appears and there are no trees to climb."

"Ha ha. Very funny," she laughed falsely. "My dad asked me to bring you some bread he prepared. It's still hot."

She lifted the cloth covering the basket a little, allowing me to feel the aroma of freshly baked bread.

"It smells delicious," I felt my stomach roaring. "My grandmother is inside. Come in."

Yumi entered the house, I heard that she and my grandmother exchanged words a few minutes before the girl left, now with the empty basket, except with the handkerchief resting in the background.

"Can I sit?"

"Sure," I said, making room for her on the bench.

"Then, tomorrow is the big day. Back to the road."

"Yep."

"On your own."

"Apparently."

"And with Grimm stalking."

"In the worst case scenario."

"I admire that about you. You accept that just like that. I would cower in a heartbeat."

"It's something that I've grown up with. Since childhood I trained to be a huntsman with Alice as my mentor, not knowing that she was my mother. After her death, I studied and trained on my own. I was 12 when I hunted my first Grimm, a ursa, when I ventured beyond the city walls. "

"Didn't that scare you?"

"I was terrified. On the one hand, I was telling myself again and again that I was not ready for that and that I had to run. But another part of me knew that I had to overcome the fear I felt and face the Grimm."

"And what happened?"

"I was beaten, honestly. A Grimm of at least 60 kilos against a slender 12-year-old boy who barely had some control of his semblance. If it wasn't for my aura protecting me, I would have died easily. If it wasn't for Qrow-"

"Qrow?"

"A friend. If it wasn't for him that he arrived on time, maybe I wouldn't have come out of that in one piece. He could have finished it in a single moment, but he knew that I should do it, so he gave me the window of opportunity to stab the Grimm. Once that was over, he told me that if I had run, I would have encountered other ursas that were close. "

"Then you made a wise decision, right?"

"You can say yes. In a fight, you have to make quick decisions. How to attack. When to move and where. Ammo. There is no time to hesitate."

Everything went silent, so I looked at Yumi, who looked at me with concern.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I think I get serious when I talk about certain things."

"It's fine. It's good that you take your job seriously," Yumi assured me. "Most of the huntsmen who arrive in Lotam mostly boast of their exploits."

"Like me."

"You tell us your stories including the mistakes you make. They always seem to have a case of Mary Sue and they think they are perfect. In comparison, you're more human."

Human.

Years ago, when my controlling semblance of darkness manifested itself, I feared that people could find that frightening and treated me as a phenomenon; something that was confirmed with what Weiss said months ago.

Already when I felt confident with everyone after recovering my memories, I started using my freer semblance, achieving greater control of this that helped me in my fighting. Sadly, Anima was not Beacon or Atlas.

In a town where I exterminated some Nevermore that besieged the plantations, I used darkness to bring down one of the giant birds. People could recover the plots, but those who were present and saw me use my power began to fear me. They literally threw me the bag of the agreed provisions and called me a monster, as if just touching my hand could cause some plague. I didn't discuss the treatment I was being given, since that would only cause a growth of negative emotions and attract more Grimm, so I just took my things and left.

Despite this, I no longer fear my semblance and have accepted it as part of me. There may be people who feel repulsion or rejection of what I can do, but there are also those who accept, if that is the case, tolerate it. Hell, Ishi and other kids almost went crazy when I made several forms of Grimm using darkness.

However, I was worried about the power I was learning to use. The Overdrive was supposedly a once-in-a-lifetime thing to achieve greater power before succumbing due to the great vital energy needed to manifest it. But I had already used it 4 times already; three involuntarily and one at will. Even with a little control over it, I still feared I could lose control of myself and become a beast that only sought blood.

"Do I still look human to you?" I asked thoughtfully. "Even after seeing my semblance and what can I do?"

"Of course," Yumi replied, confident. "A monster wouldn't save my brother and me from that pack of Grimm. A monster wouldn't tell us all the stories that thrill Ishi. A monster wouldn't accompany his grandmother to the market and charge everything back home. Kaiden, you're human , both with virtues and defects. And what if you control darkness? At least you use that to protect others."

The fierceness with which the girl defended me surprised me, with a fire burning in her brown eyes under her dark hair that reached her mid back. Until that moment I hadn't noticed that she was clinging to my hand tightly.

"Sorry," Yumi apologized by recomposing, sorry. "It's just that it seems unfair that you self-disqualify yourself that way."

"It's okay."

"Of course it's not right. You saw the graves, right? I saw you going with Mrs. Noir today in the morning." I nodded. "Mostly those people have died from an attack by Grimm or as a result of this. It was only a few years when it was decided to arm those who could fight. But, even with that, there were still deaths with each attack."

"Sorry," Yumi apologized by recomposing, sorry. "It's just that it seems unfair that you self-disqualify yourself that way."

"It's okay."

"Of course it's not right. You saw the graves, right? I saw you going with Mrs. Noir today in the morning." I nodded. "Mostly those people have died from an attack by Grimm or as a result of this. It was only a few years when it was decided to arm those who could fight. But, even with that, there were still deaths with each attack."

Yumi looked towards the night sky, sadness reflected in her eyes with the glow of the moon that illuminated them.

"That day should be like another: go find wood for dad's ovens, rest for a while by the creek as usual and go home before sunset. We slept more than that, only to be awakened by the terrifying howl of the Grimm: I barely saw those red eyes, I climbed Ishi to the tree and held him tightly so he wouldn't fall in. While we were enduring the onslaught of those Grim who wanted us to fall, I only begged the gods to at least save my little brother. If I was going to die, I had to get time so Ishi had the chance to escape. "

I was disturbed by the calm with which she spoke. She had already prepared herself mentally to give her life for Ishi. That made me realize more than the people of the remote towns of the kingdoms had to endure day by day. At least Aztlan was a reasonable distance from Vale and had a wall with a defense system (even if it failed). Settlements that lacked it had to manage on their own by being far from any help. And not to mention the communications situation since the Beacon tower fell.

"But the you arrived, Kaiden," Yumi looked at me with a soft smile as tears descended her face. "You were our answer to my prayers. You fought until you were tired and it was already safe for us. We dragged you back to town. That's when Mrs. Noir saw you and asked that you be taken to her home."

"I just did the right thing. I've already lost people in front of my eyes and I won't let that happen again if I can help it."

Yumi wiped her soaked cheeks and looked at me warmly.

"I know. I've felt that you are that kind of person and I like that," she said sweetly as she leaned toward me.

My body didn't react when I felt her lips on mine, but when I did, I felt cradle warmth that enveloped me as I tried to savor more of that soft sensation. I could have enjoyed it longer, forgetting about the trip that awaited me, but my mind betrayed me and compared that kiss with another one I had had before. With that, Ruby's image appeared in my mind, causing me to suddenly separate from Yumi.

My head began to turn a whirlwind of thought that received no response before another appeared. I thought about Ruby. How he had left her. The kisses we had before. The sound of his voice as the boat left Patch. A deep hatred of myself grew within me.

"Sorry I-"

"Don't worry," Yumi seemed to feel guilty. "I didn't know what I was thinking. You already have someone, right? That Ruby girl you were talking about."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I hated myself more for making Yumi feel conflicted.

"The truth is that I no longer know if we are still something. I left her in Patch so that I could come to this stupid trip to Mistral. I left her when she needed me most after what happened in Beacon. What can I do now? I just go back and say 'Sorry to leave. Wanna make out?'"

"And why did you leave her if you feel that way?"

"Because, after what I've seen and endured, I don't want her to be hurt. She has a family that has already lost her mother and who would cry if something happened to her. I can't do that to her."

"That shows you still love her," Yumi said stroking my face. "Have faith. Maybe something is coming and you can reconcile with Ruby someday."

"But what if she doesn't want to see me?"

"I don't believe it if he is the person he talks to Ishi and me. To tell you the truth, I feel somewhat jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Yes, she already has your heart."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing so much," Yumi punched me gently on my arm. "At least I had a sweet kiss as a consolation prize."

She stood up gracefully as a dancer and smiled at me.

"I think it's time to go home. You have a trip tomorrow and I will wake up early to prepare some breads for the road."

"And, Kaiden ..."

"Yes?"

"Don't be hard on yourself. Your body may be the one who kills the Grimm, but it won't help if your mind isn't calm," she told me. "A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body. Or is what they say. Good night."

Yumi walked away calmly in the direction of the town center, whose lights illuminated its streets while some closed their businesses and returned to their homes.

I stayed a little longer outside, thinking about the words in the girl.

I admit that I was not the fan number of myself those days. Every time I made a mistake, I recriminated myself hundreds of times even when days had passed since that. If I made a bad move, I could only think that it would have killed me if I was facing Cinder or Ragna. It was true what they say: someone's worst enemy is oneself.

Even if Yumi was right, I didn't know how to achieve that from a healthy soul. Believe me, I have more mental problems than Donald Trump (whoever that guy is). Depression, anxiety, inferiority complex, etc. A psychologist could do thesis, masters and doctorate based on me.

Yes, perhaps achieving peace of mind is possible, but at that point it was difficult for me while keeping my mind alert to any beast or bandit attack. The former I could kill without a squeak, but the later was where I marked my line. Even when I fought White Fang, I made sure not to cause fatal injuries. In the case that I met bandits along the way, I just left them unconscious... and took away money and supplies, like a pokemon trainer after a battle (thief who steals thief has a hundred years of forgiveness).

But maybe it doesn't hurt to try. The trip to Mistral is long and I still had to find Muramasa. Maybe there is time to play Doctor Phil in the meantime.

Before that, I returned to the interior of the house only to be greeted with my grandmother's gaze while biting a cookie.

"Damn, Noir men are a serious thing. You know, your grandfather was a casanova in his youth," she said calmly. "You don't know how many legs I had to break until he noticed me."

"By breaking legs do you mean literally or metaphorically?" I asked feeling my face turning red. Apparently she had seen the whole scene.

My grandmother just took another bite of the cookie and replied, "Yes."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

That night I could not sleep. Inside me was a whirlwind of excitement and nerves that didn't let me close my eyes until fatigue overcame me, only to wake up in the early hours of the morning at dawn.

During the time when everything was silent in the house, I checked that everything was in order in my backpack and equipment to resume my trip. The newspapers were inside, along with which I made my notes. The ammunition was ready, with several cartridges in the bags in my belt in case I had to reload in a fight. Samaritan was in good condition, changing from gun to knife with a quick movement in my hand. Requiem was still silent, showing no signs of life. The mark of the welding used to repair it could be seen in the clear morning light, reminding me once again of my defeat on that night. I felt that my strength was not the same without feeling that I was really wielding the sword, as if a part of me was missing.

I checked my luggage again and again until the sun came out completely and the day officially began and I heard my grandmother's footsteps going to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Once again she refused to help her, but at least I stayed with her to talk before setting the table and then sit down to eat.

That week in Lotam was like a respite from everything. I could physically and mentally disconcert my trip, I could meet my grandmother, greet my grandfather and be able to have that feeling of being at home that I had not had in a long time.

I went out the front door, maybe for the last time in a long time. We walked through the town while I said goodbye to everything along the way.

What was my surprise when I arrived at the exit of the settlement when I saw that Yumi and Ishi were waiting for me there. The girl was carrying a paper bag with him and the boy was carrying a blue sheet tied around his neck as if it were his cape that fluttered in the wind. Together with them was Sully, who looked decent compared to our first meeting.

"Good day to travel, right, young Noir?"

"Yes, Mr. Mayor," I responded by shaking his hand. "It was a pleasure to be in your town."

"Having the grandson of the great Edward Noir was a pleasure for me, although my first impression was not good."

"You don't have to worry about it. I've known many worse cases."

"I can imagine," The man just laughed, with his huge belly dancing like jelly. "I hope you will visit us again in the future. Perhaps by then our defense project will be completed."

"I hope so too."

"And I hope to have as many stories to tell as you do when you return," Ishi was next to speak. "Now I will train to be a huntsman."

"There is still a long way then," I said, stirring the boy's brown hair. "But if you don't give up, it will be a piece of cake for you."

Yumi was the next to approach, handing me the bag whose sweet aroma emanated from inside.

"As I promised you, something for you to enjoy along the way," She winked at me. "Thanks once again for saving me."

Before I could react, she kissed me on the cheek. Sully and my grandmother looked at me with a smug smile.

"I'll make sure to enjoy them," I replied trying to act great. "Thank you, Yumi."

In an act of trying to save me from being embarrassed, my grandmother was the last to approach. She wrapped me tightly in her arms while I smelled her sweet fragrance of lavender and musk.

Honestly, I feared for her. She would be alone again once I left. I didn't know when I would go back to Lotam and I didn't know if she would still be there to welcome me with open arms like she did before.

As if she sensed those thoughts, she embraced me louder and whispered in my ear:

"I'll be fine. You don't have to fear for me. Keep up your journey and find what you are looking for. This will always be your home when you return. I love you, my little Kaiden."

I felt her lips kissing my forehead, before seeing her eyes that looked at me with pride. It was like seeing my mother again, if only she had had the chance to grow old looking like my grandmother.

"I love you too, grandma," I kissed her hands that took care of me with love during those days. "Thank you for everything and for knowing you at last."

After another hug and then put the bag of breads in my backpack, I resumed my way to Mistral.

I think it was the only time on that trip that I looked back after a few steps, just to see them and say goodbye once again waving my hand.

The road was still long and full of dangers, but now I had one more reason to fight and try to save the world.

A reason that smelled of lavender and musk.

* * *

**Welp, that's it.**

**What do you think about this chapter? If you think it was boring, let me tell you that the next one is gonna be interesting since a bitch bird will appear.**

**See ya!**


	4. Breaking Point

**Hello everyone!**

**I hope all of you are fine and healthy with this COVID-19 thing around. In case you're at home in quarantine, I leave you this update so you can enjoy at home.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Breaking Point

-o-

The usual routine.

Walk.

Rest a while for a quick lunch.

Walk again.

Stop if you detect a Grimm or group of bandits nearby.

Avoid if they are bandits. / Attack if they are Grimm.

Continue walking until you reach the nearest settlement.

It had been almost two weeks since I left Lotam and I already missed Grandma's food. Yumi's breads ran out in 3 days and I only had my ration of dried fruits when I arrived at the next town, where I stayed only one night, as usual, before leaving the next day once I had replenished my supplies .

I didn't have many problems along the way. Yes, some Nagatinis attacked me when I enjoyed my fried fish dinner next to a river, but nothing I couldn't handle.

The next town was one called Shion, which had a train station and a ship that could take me to Mistral, according to the information table at the entrance of the place. I was tempted to use one of the two transports to speed up my trip, but I also had to consider how it could affect me in my search for Muramasa's forge.

I arrived in the afternoon, renting a room at night and eating a hot plate of food, hoping that my night there wouldn't be the same as the first one in Lotam with a cantina fight.

Once in my room, I took out my mother's diary about Mistral and displayed the Anima map, which had several notes that I had made on some routes I had discovered. According to Alice, one could find the famous blacksmith arriving at the town of Taro and traveling east, through a thick forest, until finding a type of rock formation with the appearance of a hammer. From there it was only to follow a path at the base of the rock.

Taking that into account, I checked my scroll to review the photo taken by the train itinerary to compare the stations near Taro. To my fortune, there was a town nearby only 2 stops away and a trek until getting the village, so my trip would have been greatly shortened.

I sat on the bed and breathed deeply. I had already made a breakthrough since I arrived from Atlas several weeks ago.

The fact that I could find Muramasa (and possibly fully repair Requiem) made me feel optimistic; a not so common feeling those days. Hell, I already missed the talk with my sword, who was still resting silently against the wall.

If all went well, I could take the train again and arrive in Mistral in a short time to meet with Professor Lionheart and begin the next phase of my mission: find out how the heck Cinder and company were posing as Haven students.

I still didn't know exactly how I would do it; perhaps doing interrogations, checking records and systems, or analyzing security cameras. But I didn't plan to leave with empty hands. I just hoped that Winter was still in the kingdom, since she had been deployed there for security reasons in an Atlas operation. With the support of the Specialist I could achieve something.

I closed my eyes and fell into my bed, trying to put those thoughts aside for the moment and enjoy knowing that my trip could have shortened.

However, the silence of the room ceased when a sound alerted me: a scream. I quickly stood up and approached the window while more voices joined the alarming chorus. Soon I started listening to shots.

A Grimm attack? Most likely.

I still put on my armor and cape before keeping my backpack under the bed for protection… forgetting my mask on the table in the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

People ran in terror looking for refuge from the threat that attacked them. On the other side of town, the night began to light up with the burning flames that devoured the buildings. More shots were heard above people's alarmed voices.

An old man crashed into me and rushed to the ground, but I caught him before he fell.

"What is happening?"

"Bandits! They are attacking us!" the man shouted with fear in his voice before running away.

I cursed softly.

So much that I had avoided bandits and now they wouldn't let me have a restful night. I could take my things and get out of there as quickly as possible, but I knew that I would regret leaving all those people alone.

Going against my good judgment, I was running towards the origin of the commotion.

My first contact was a wild-looking guy who pointed a gun at a family.

"Give me everything you have!"

"Take it, but don't hurt my family," the man pleaded to stand between the bandit and his wife with their children.

"What's funny about it if there are no screams?" the bandit said coldly as he pointed the gun at the father's head.

My hand moved fast, firing at the man's weapon and deflecting the trajectory of the projectile, which hit a nearby wall. The man howled in pain and turned to me in time to receive a close-up of my boot in his face before falling unconscious on the pavement.

The family stared at me dumbfounded.

"Get out of here!" I rolled them. "Quick!"

Without wasting time, the man took his family and ran out of there, trying to find a safe place away from that hell.

"Hey, that guy is a huntsman and beat Barry!" Another bandit appeared.

He, along with another group of malefactors, prepared his rifle and began shooting at me. I was able to repel several bullets with Requiem, while others impacted on my aura protection. I pounced on them and subdued them with some blows, but another joined the fray with high swords. I covered the blade of my sword with my aura and repelled the attack without killing them, leaving them unconscious.

He could end up with one or two bandits without problems, but the problem was when the pile got together and attacked at the same time. If they were Grimm, I would kill them without a problem, but the problem was that these bandits, despite their life choices, were still human and I dared not shed blood, even if my life was in danger. I left it for when I faced Cinder or Ragna. I wouldn't hesitate to murder them all.

One by one they fell as I advanced on the street with the buildings on fire. I cursed myself for forgetting my mask in the room with the rest of the things feeling the smoke on my face.

A war cry took me by surprise and another bandit appeared from the smoke, jumping over me with two daggers pointing at my neck. I blocked the attack and threw my opponent against a crumbling wall from which he limped out.

The criminal looked at me angrily, but suddenly a fear appeared in his mind.

"Boss, I'm glad you're here," the wounded man exclaimed. "This guy has been attacking our men and you won't let us take the loot."

Approaching was the figure of a woman illuminated by the flames. She was wearing a shallow cut black and red dress with black shorts underneath, with series of beaded necklaces and a belt that wraps around her waist and carrying her weapon's sheath. Attached also was a long black object that is either fur or feathers, with a red and white bandana material like hanging from behind her. Her forearms bear red armored gauntlets that protrude outwards and solid black gloves. She wore black mid-thigh high leggings with red splatter patterns and black heels. The face of the stranger was covered by a mask that looked like a Grimm, with 4 slits that gave it less human appearance.

"Join the rest," a voice spoke. "I got this."

The bandit nodded in thanks and ran from there.

The now identified head of the bandit group stared at me, leaving me no clue of the face that would be under that mask.

"Only you are facing my tribe," she said calmly. "I don't know if I should consider you brave or stupid."

"I'm just someone who doesn't want to see how innocent people are murdered or stripped of their home."

"No one is innocent in this world," the boss replied. "Everyone has darkness inside that will sooner or later be visible to everyone. Even if you trust someone, you'll eventually be stabbed in the back. That is why I act as I feel, without deceiving how I really am."

I chuckled, "Wise words from someone wearing a mask."

I could feel the glare under the mask.

"How do you expect to stop us? I've been watching you while fighting my men and you haven't killed one. You talk about protecting when you don't even have the courage to stain your hands with blood. That was more than enough to know from you: you are afraid. You fear crossing the line. That noble cliche of not killing only proves that you don't have the courage to do what is necessary when necessary. That fear makes you weak."

"Weak you say?" I said sheathing Samaritan and wielding Requiem tightly. "We'll see."

I was the first to make the first move to attack her head on. Our swords collided several times with both refusing to back off. Her strikes were fast and strong with each shock I felt numbing my hands, but I kept clinging to my sword as I made the next attack. I threw a lunge that she dodged with a combined jump of a kick in the face that I could barely block with my arm.

The next thing I saw was her rushing at high speed in my direction. With a hand movement, a pillar of darkness emerged from the ground and she dodged it by millimeters. I raised more in succession as far as my ability allowed, but there came a time when I lost sight of her.

The last thing I heard was a flutter when I felt a heavy hit from the back. I fell to the ground and found myself trapped by a boot stomping on my chest. In front of my face was the red blade of a katana.

"I changed my mind: yes, you are stupid," the woman said, putting more pressure on me. "But I have to admit that you know how to fight, for a child. It is a pity that so much excitement has to end. I haven't had such fun like that in a while."

The katana blade approached my neck. And I didn't know how my aura was, but I didn't want to leave it at random if I still had protection to prevent my throat from being cut, so I pressed my hand against the floor and a fist of darkness projected quickly hit the face of the woman.

The head bandit staggered before regaining her balance. The blow must have been strong enough to remove the mask, exposing the face of the stranger that left me speechless. I had already seen it but in another person.

It was like seeing Yang, but her hair, instead of being blond, was jet black with red eyes that were different from my friend's lilac.

What were the chances that I would meet her? In front of me was ...

"Raven Branwen ..."

Raven looked at me in confusion as I caught my breath, "Do I know you?"

"No, but I know who you are. You are Yang Xiao Long's mother, Qrow's sister and Alice Noir's friend."

"Alice ..." she exhaled her name wistfully. "I haven't heard that name in a while."

"About seven years, right?"

"How do you know?"

"I was there when she died. Protecting me."

"And who are you exactly?"

"I'm Kaiden Noir. I'm her son. Nice to meet you, Aunt Raven."

Raven looked at me suspiciously.

"You know your daughter lost her arm fighting for Beacon, right? She's in Patch, coping with that."

Raven was silent for few seconds before replying coldly, "So, what about it?"

The way she said it pissed me off. A mother's response would be to be alarmed to learn that her daughter had lost her limb, but Raven seemed as if I were telling her the weather forecast.

"She needs your support. Someone to listen to her. She needs her mother."

Raven wasn't affected by my words. Moreover, she seemed bored even in the middle of a town engulfed in flames with her people looting.

"She can take care of herself. If she can't, everyone there must be with her helping her to lick her wounds," she said with total indifference. "If she lost an arm, it's because she was too careless. It will help her as a lesson."

I didn't give credit to the words I heard coming from the woman. I knew that there are all kinds of mothers: those who take care of you without you knowing that she is your mother, the affectionate ones, like Mary, or the one who are kinda absent but still gave some support, like Weiss' (from what she had told me about). But I had never seen one with total disrespect for the welfare of a child, like Raven.

In my dreams I still remembered the bright smile of Yang, who always managed to get you a smile in one way or another and cheer you up. A smile that has disappeared since she was framed injuring Mercury and her encounter with Adam Taurus. Now that woman, with whom she shares her blood, despises her and considers her as helpless without knowing who she really is.

"Don't talk about her like that," I barked, starting to lose my temper.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. This world is nothing considerate of those who can't fight ... as well as those who are afraid of killing."

Just talking to that woman was driving me crazy. She really didn't care about her family. It didn't matter to her to leave a husband and a baby behind. I felt bad for Taiyang, a person so kind and loving father, that he had to endure the abandonment of that woman and then lose Ruby's mother.

"But what can be done?" Raven exclaimed, shrugging. "Summer's daughter is like her mother, she wouldn't survive if she remains the same."

Just hearing that felt like something was breaking inside me. Maybe the last patience I had left.

She was right. Sooner or later I would have to soak my edge with blood. Maybe I couldn't keep that until I found the bitch that had the powers of the Fall Maiden, so I would have to start somehow. Or with someone.

Remnant would be better without Raven.

Taiyang would be better without her.

Qrow would be better without her.

Yang would be better without her.

"I think you're right about something," I declared clinging tightly to my sword that felt the leather of the hilt being marked in my palm. "This world isn't kind to those who dare not take a life to protect others. I will no longer doubt. There are lives that are not worth existing. Like yours."

I stopped my breath. I lit the fire of my aura like a bonfire, whose heat enveloped me with a dark flame burning intensely. I had no idea if I could defeat her, but I wasn't going to fall easily. I would make her pay every despicable word that came out of her mouth.

With a small impulse I crossed the distance that separated us in a few seconds before attacking again. She blocked it, but the force I applied on my blade was enough to stagger and make her go back a few steps. Another strike drove her back again. And again. I could see in Raven's face that she was having trouble dealing with me the more strength I applied on every attack. She fought back with swift moves before I pushed her back with another strike. Another clash of my sword struck her katana, but now I charged Requiem with an aura charge that detonated when collided with the metal. The impact dragged her backwards a few meters, but it caused her to lose the grip of her weapon, remaining unarmed ... just like her daughter. The woman's countenance was now one of surprise. The arrogant expression of before had vanished.

It was time to make her pay. I would make sure to let him know that I would no longer hesitate to attack. I would no longer hesitate to shed blood. I wouldn't think twice before killing those who deserve it.

"RAVEN!"

I looked away to the side, just to see a young woman with tan-colored skin, short brown hair and icy blue eyes. She had an extended arm as she ran towards us when I felt a sudden change in the air. Something stopped me and lifted off the ground in a gale that threw me several meters over the air without control before crashing into the ground face down.

My forces abandoned me when I gasped for air, losing my concentration, the power of the Overdrive vanished.

As I struggled to stand up again with my head pounding with a strong headache, I heard a few steps approaching. My hand quickly flew to draw Samaritan, but something fell on my back and imprisoned me against the ground.

"Stay," the voice from before ordered me.

From what I could look up, Raven was in front of me, with her katana in hand and, seeing the pissed off look she was giving me, I knew I was more than screwed.

"I admit you took me by surprise with your little trick, but it won't happen again. You lost."

"On your mark, Raven," I heard the sound of a weapon loading the shot behind my head.

Then there was a howling in the distance that I immediately recognized.

Grimm.

I knew it was a matter of time before the beasts were attracted by the deep negative emotions that was being emitted from the inhabitants of the town in that situation.

"Wait, Vernal," Raven ordered authoritatively. Then she knelt until her face was close to mine. "I could leave you here and be devoured by the incoming Grimm while I forget about you. A happy ending for this night. However, I will forgive you this time and let you live, in honor of the friendship I had with Alice, but don't ever cross my path again. Is that clear? "

I glared at her, "With all due respect, Aunt Raven, bite me."

The woman laughed weakly, "Stubborn like her. Now I see the resemblance. "

Raven stood up and kicked my face, leaving me in complete darkness.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

My mind was like an old car, trying to turn on at times before turning off again. In those brief lapses of consciousness, I barely had any idea what was happening.

"What will you do with him?"

"I will send him with my brother. Let him deal him and keep him away from us. "

I heard a strange sound, as if something was torn and began to suck like a big vacuum. I felt that someone was pulling me from the collar of my jacket and was throwing me like a sack of potatoes before falling on grass.

Someone spit their drink.

Someone was running towards me.

Hands took me and patted my face.

"Hey, kiddo. You're good?" A familiar voice called me.

"Q-Qrow?"

"Don't worry. It's ok."

From there, I didn't know what happened. I woke up one morning leaning against a tree with my cloak covering me. My weapons were fortunately with me. I felt a slight numbness in my body, but it was less than what I had in Lotam, perhaps having used the Overdrive for less time than back then.

I was alone. That was weird since I had seemed to hear Qrow's voice. I didn't know where I was. In a forest somewhere in Anima obviously, but where exactly? The best thing I could do was climb a tree and look for the nearest town to ask for directions. There was a settlement not far from where it was. The trip was faster once I found a path that took me directly to the place.

I found a town like any other. People continued with their lives, attending their businesses or buying supplies or tools for day to day. Everything was at peace. I was wondering if there was news of Shion.

"Hey, boy. Are you passing through?" A faunus with dark skin and horns called me. He was carrying a box with several tools.

"Yes, you can say. Excuse me, where am I?"

"Welcome to Ban Sing Se. Not the best place in Anima, but not the worst. Are you a huntsman?"

"Yes, you can say yes."

"You are the second adventurer who goes through here so far this week," the faunus recalled. "A group of boys passed by and hunted a geist who was giving us problems for a while before leaving few hours ago. I even made some improvements to their weapons."

"Are you a blacksmith?"

"The best here and I don't say it for being the only one. Do you need me to help you with your tools?"

I was tempted to accept his proposal and let him review Requiem, but I decided better that I would leave it for when I found Muramasa.

"I appreciate the offer, but no thanks."

The faunus shrugged, "Well, at least I had fun checking those boys' weapons. It was a rather peculiar group."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because they were too young to be a huntsmen, just like you. Two boys and two girls. One girl wasvery energetic, so I integrated an electric coil into her mallet. The boy she was very attached to was very quiet. The other blond boy asked me to improve his sword and shield a high quality material. The other girl was the one who caught my attention the most. "

"Why?"

"Her eyes," he said opening wide his light brown eyes. "A very unique color. They were silver."

I shuddered to hear that.

There was no way that ...

Or could it be?

"The girl. The silver-eyed one," I took the faunus by the shoulder tightly. "Did she have dark hair with red tips? Was she wearing a cape like mine but red?"

"Y-yes," the blacksmith hesitated at the insistence of my questions. "Even she showed me her weapon. A scythe with precision rifle. A masterpiece."

"Where did they go?" I was having a hard time keeping calm. People started looking at me because they started talking louder.

"They left two days ago for Shion. They wanted to take some transport for Mistral. Boy, are you alright?"

My heart was pounding in my chest. Ruby was not only in Anima and heading towards Mistral, accompanied (I assumed) by Jaune, Nora and Ren, but she was also going to a city that had been attacked last night. What would happen if they arrived and met Raven's group?

"No, I am not. Shion was attacked last night."

"By the gods," the faunus exclaimed in alarm. "How do you know?"

"I was there. Where is Shion?"

"What do you mean where is it?" he asked, confused. "Didn't you say you were coming from there?"

"It's a long story and I don't have time. Where?"

"Take the east exit and 50 kilometers following the road."

As soon as I had the information, I ran in the direction provided. As soon as I was at the tree's reach, I used my gauntlets to swing, ignoring the pain I felt in my body.

I was going to Ruby. A reunion that I thought little possible could happen. I had left Ruby in Patch for her protection and now I was running to meet her. What a great contradiction. However, that little mattered to me.

I just wanted to make sure she was fine and doesn't meet Raven.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I crossed the distance without rest. My coffee bean reserves in my pouch were running out as I ate one by one to have a little more energy.

It took me several hours to get to what was left of Shion. The first thing I could distinguish in the distance were the ruins of the burned buildings, now with the foundations completely black by the fire it had little to be extinguished.

While on the edge of town, I prepared my weapons and entered the abandoned settlement.

What bothered me most was the deathly silence. No life was heard in the surroundings, not even the noise of someone looting the loot of what was left of the siege. All I could hear was the sad whisper of the wind, who seemed to cry for the bodies that were in the streets and under the fallen structures.

In the street I could distinguish some feet marked on the ash that covered it. They seemed to be recent, perhaps a few time after someone had passed by.

4 pairs of boots. Each of different size.

Could they be them?

I followed the trail to the center of the village, where the body of a man was leaning against a collapsed wall. I had seen him before, since I barely shared a few words with him when I arrived at the inn that afternoon. We don't talk much, except where I came from. He was now dead.

Traces surrounded him, perhaps witnessing his last moments. They moved in several directions around that area. A large and a small pair had moved away a little and had stopped in front of a huge footprint marked in the shape of a horseshoe in a proportion of land that had barely been touched by ash.

The footsteps moved a little more before meeting again and heading towards the outskirts of town.

There seemed to be no fighting marks or something similar, which gave me some comfort to know that, if they were really Ruby's footsteps and what was left of the JNPR, they were there and left without problems. Now I had another concern: my belongings.

It was difficult to recognize the inn where I was staying, now reduced to ruins with the roof collapsed. I ventured through the rubble until I reached the room, where despair attacked me again.

Under my bed, now completely calcined, was my backpack completely ruined with hundreds of bullet holes, perhaps due to the reaction of the fire with the ammunition I had stored inside. Its content was totally destroyed: the diaries, my change of clothes, my supplies. Everything. Maybe it was waterproof, but apparently not bulletproof.

I blamed myself for everything. I should have taken my things as soon as the trip happened. The entire record of my trip was gone overnight. Even I lost my mother's diaries and I wouldn't see her handwriting again.

My only consolation was what was under a table that had barely survived the fire. Among the burnt wood heap was my mask. The surface showed several cracks and one of the lenses had scratches, but when I put it on the system seemed to work. Maybe it was because of the motherboard that Professor Pascal had given me. Among all my things, only that seemed to be alright.

I had almost nothing left, except my weapons, my armor, my lien, my mask and the latest information about Muramasa's whereabouts that I gathered before the attack.

I couldn't do anything for Shion anymore. Perhaps those who escaped were able to get away in time to avoid the Grimm and managed to save themselves, unlike those who were now lying in the streets of what used to be their home.

I put on my hood and left the collapsed building to go to the exit of that ghost town. Before leaving completely, I kept a moment of silence for those who lost their lives, hoping they were at peace in the hereafter.

From there I continued with my long trip to Taro, my next destination to reach Muramasa, following the same path by which Ruby. I wasn't sure what I would do if I found it, but that will be another time's concern. I just had to keep walking.

I didn't know it then, but the next time I met bandits, the earth would be dyed with blood.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I had already felt disappointment before. When I didn't get the score I expected from an exam and I had to put up with Weiss in her 10 0. When I received a medical book on my birthday when I wanted one about huntsmen. Every damn time I didn't get the original 'Saber' on Fate GO. But what I felt at that moment must be the biggest disappointment I had felt in my life.

After the unfortunate encounter with Raven and the Shion massacre, I wandered a few days until I reached a village where I bought a backpack and replenished my supplies that I lost when the inn was burned, only being my mask what was in good condition.

I followed my path, being alert to Grimm or bandits. This time you would not hesitate if someone got in my way. As much as I wanted, I could no longer be the same as in those joyful days at Beacon, in which my only concern was the exams, the Vytal tournament, maintaining my relationship with Ruby, and bringing Roman Torchwick to justice. Good times.

I was lucky to find an operational train station that allowed me to reach the town near Taro, which left me a little more time to rest a bit from walking. From there I arrived at my destination around noon.

The place didn't seem like much. People walking from here to there, taking care of their lives without worries. Children playing. Open stores, promoting their products. The usual. However, I did not stop and went to the exit that led to the path that was lost in the surrounding forest.

I walked for a while until I came across what I was looking for: a hammer-shaped rock formation. My heart beat fast, expectant to find the secret path from which I had expected so much.

I followed the engraving of an arrow that was already worn out by the passage of time. Several meters ahead I found another indication, pointing to my left until I reached a rock, just in front of the gorge. There were chains attached to the wall that stretched several meters above the long fall that awaited me with each false step. I didn't trust the rusty chains, so I used the cable from my gauntlets to keep me attached to the rock wall. I traveled a long distance until I found a crack that allowed me to enter and access a grotto with a stairway that led to an exit.

I went back outside, but I was several meters from the ground and without a staircase to descend. In front of me were some wooden platforms that the wind rocked dangerously with a simple breeze and, beyond it was another platform that led up the hill.

I jumped to the first platform, which curled under my feet and began to wobble before moving on to the next, which broke by trapping my foot as it rushed to the ground. I was saved by pure miracle when using my gauntlets to go to the next one. By the time I reached the end of the tour, several more were broken when hitting the wood or the post broke when it gained momentum. At least now he could give me a break before continuing.

I went back outside, but I was several meters from the ground and without a staircase to descend. In front of me were some wooden platforms that the wind rocked dangerously with a simple breeze and, beyond it was another platform that led up the hill.

I jumped to the first platform, which curled under my feet and began to wobble before moving on to the next, which broke by trapping my foot as it rushed to the ground. I was saved by pure miracle when using my gauntlets to go to the next one. By the time I reached the end of the tour, several more were broken when hitting the wood or the post broke when it gained momentum. At least now he could give me a break before continuing.

I would like to say that it was everything, but in reality it was the first of many challenges. Then I found a kind of hint of obstacles with woods and rocks swaying in no order. After a puzzle of ordering some rock discs in a pattern assigned with wooden stakes that appeared and tried to stab you if you did it wrong. Hell, I even had to solve a time trial sudoku in a chamber that was filled with some kind of sleeping gas. It was like being in an Uncharted game.

After all these obstacles, I found a plaque that said:

_"Worthy!"_

It was then that I understood that all of that should have been a test to find out if someone was worthy of receiving a blacksmith's weapon. However, I felt that the mechanism of several challenges were out of adjustment, as if they had not been used for some time.

Even so, I was proud to emerge victorious from those tests and would have the privilege of seeing Muramasa, the only person who could repair Requiem.

However, such emotion I felt vanished within a few meters.

Even so, I was proud to emerge victorious from those tests and would have the privilege of seeing Muramasa, the only person who could repair Requiem.

However, such emotion I felt vanished within a few meters.

In front of me was an abandoned house. Several roof segments had collapsed and the facade was completely reclaimed by the vegetation that covered the exterior. The front door was hanging on a single hinge, gnashing spectrally with the simplest breeze. The interior was no better, with the floor and furniture covered with a dense layer of dust as if no one had lived there for a long time.

"Hello?" I called with my voice resonating, but received no response.

I entered the house, with Samaritan loaded in case of some unexpected encounter. The wood creaked at my feet, as if crying because of my weight. I toured several rooms, all empty and with a lot of dust and cobweb, but I found nothing ... until I reached what the forge should have been.

I entered the house, with Samaritan loaded in case of some unexpected encounter. The wood creaked at my feet, as if crying because of my weight. I toured several rooms, all empty and with a lot of dust and cobweb, but I found nothing ... until I reached what the forge should have been.

The workshop was as expected of someone who used a traditional style to forge weapons. The oven was at one end of the room, barely larger than a bathtub, and next to it was a pile of unused wood with cobweb covering it. On the other side was a bench beside a plateau, where molten metal was surely shaped with the hammer, which lay abandoned on its surface. Next to a wall was a work table with multiple hanging tools and several molds underneath.

But what surprised me the most was what was in the center of the place: a skeleton. Several bones were gone, as was a femur, a ulna, and the small bones of the hand, but most were still there. The clothes, which were frayed and now were only scraps of old cloth, resembled a yukata used primarily by blacksmiths. Among the ribs was an object that had barely endured the passing of the years under the dust that prevailed over the whole place, but still retained its shape. A knife.

There was who I had been looking for so much. The only one that could completely repair Requiem. I didn't know how I knew it, but that pile of bones was the famous blacksmith Muramasa and, like him, my hopes were dead.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As much as I looked there was no one else there, except the skeleton.

My mind began to consider my options. I could try to make the form work. But how? Even if he managed to make some fire with the rotten wood that was there, I wouldn't know what to do without completely ruining my sword. I searched the place in case the blacksmith had kept some kind of annotations that I could use as a reference, but I only found scrolls that turned to dust in my hands.

Everything was lost.

Requiem would not return. I only had an empty shell that was half what it used to be.

The return trip was as long as the first one, but at least I didn't have to do the tests again.

Twilight was already upon me when I reached the town, but what I found was an image that took me back to the events of weeks ago.

The streets were covered with bodies; men, women, elderly, children. Several houses were on fire with flames rising to the sky that was beginning to get dark. The sepulchral silence that was to accompany the wind that cried for the lives lost in my absence.

Among all that destruction, were the usual guests of honor for such events: Grimm. A few beowolves, ursas and sabyrs roamed the empty streets in search of victims, although without results. A group caught my attention, which were staring at a fixed point. At one end of the street, facing a collapsed street, was a child.

The girl, who should not be older than 8 years, wore torn clothes and her bare feet. His blond hair was obscured by a layer of ash that covered most of his body. His gaze seemed lost, as if the presence of the beasts were no cause for alarm.

The Grimm approached her slowly, stalking, perhaps, the only prey left in the town they could devour.

A sabyr pounced on the girl, who stood still in her place. My hand quickly drew Samaritan and struck down the huge cat, falling heavily on the pavement and vanished. The companions turned to me and decided that I was a more attractive prey.

"Run!" I yelled at the girl, but she didn't move from her place.

I fought as much as I could while keeping them away from the little girl. The Grimm who were in the vicinity joined the fray until no one else arrived.

Everything was silent then and I turned to see the girl.

"It's ok," I assured. "You are safe."

As if my words were some kind of relief, the girl collapsed and I ran to put her in my arms. I could see the light returning faintly to her eyes.

"They ... came ... suddenly," she said weakly. "They started to burn everything ... and take our stuff ... They shot my parents … They went… that way..." the girl pointed towards east.

I took her hand and squeezed it, feeling her pulse weakening at every moment, "Shhh, I will take you to the nearest town and there they will take care of you. Just hold on. Can you?"

I didn't receive an answer. The girl's olive eyes stared blankly. It was then that I realized that her pulse had stopped and she was no longer breathing. I felt a lump forming in my throat as I closed her eyes, giving a prayer so that her soul could rest with her parents. I hugged the girl tightly, as if that could bring her to life, while I couldn't hold back the tears.

It couldn't be happening again.

That little girl shouldn't have gone through all that. She must be spending the night at home, with the people who loved her. His biggest concern is supposed to be going to school and thinking about what he should play with his friends.

But, once again, I was helpless as more lives were taken by individuals who didn't hesitate to hurt others for their own benefit. Now it would be different, though, since this time I wouldn't hesitate and make them pay.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I followed the trail of footsteps, putting on my mask so that I could in the dark once the night arrived and covered myself with my hood as the marks of footsteps on the grass took me to a part of the forest that had been felled and walled.

From inside the settlement I could hear the sound of joy with a song with a letter too obscene to be repeated that filled the silence of the forest, with the light of a bonfire illuminating the night. The main door was wide open, showing that the inhabitants of the place danced in the light of the flames while they drank as if there was no tomorrow.

I entered the place, only to be stopped by a man.

"Hey, who are you?" He spoke to me, dragging the words. If I didn't wear my mask, I would feel the strong stench of alcohol right on my face.

"Is Raven Branwen here?"

"Pfft! That bitch? Why do you want to see her if you're in the best tribe of Anima?"

"The same one that attacked Taro?"

"The very same," said the bandit before taking a long drink at his bottle. "We didn't get many things of value, but something is something. At least we had a little fun before the Grimm killed the party. What? What do you want to join us?"

"No," I whispered, feeling the thirst for blood consuming me as I looked up to reveal my mask, "I'm here to kill you all."

The bandit looked at me with surprise before letting out a laugh while patting my shoulder.

"What a good joke. You're so funny-AHHHHHH!"

The high-pitched scream interrupted the mood of the party while everyone turned to see their partner, who now didn't have his arm and bled to death every second he squirmed on the ground. Between us was a thin wall of darkness that rose from the ground, with what was left of the severed arm at my feet. One of those present was bringing their hand to a gun, but stopped when a dark spike impaled their head from front to back.

"Any of you are afraid of the dark?" I said concentrating my semblance for what was coming next. "Because it will be last that you will see in your miserable life."

Chaos exploded in the place. Everyone grabbed their weapons began firing and attacking with their swords raised. But I didn't care, I just wanted to kill all those bastards.

My hand moved by itself to command my semblance to impale, cut or whip anyone who dares to attack me or try to flee. My mind was in a trance, as if all moral sense was disconnected and only replaced by pure instinct. I felt something curious in my body, a kind of energy that felt familiar (even though I didn't know how in that moment), but it was different in some way.

The screams and shots were heard muted, like when I put on my sound canceling headphones that I put on when the RWBY girls began to argue about some trivial matter. I knew that I was the one doing all that, but I could barely feel present at that moment; as if I were in automatic mode.

By the time it was over, silence reigned in the settlement, only with the crackling of the fire at the stake. The scene was too much for the weak-hearted one with everything covered in blood, including my cape, clothes and mask, and I could feel the smell despite having my face covered. Wherever one looked, there were limbs and body parts scattered all over the place like Jackson Pollock painting.

There was no one left alive.

However, I remained unfazed, just taking a piece of wood from the bonfire and camly began to burn everything there before I walked away through the main entrance with the fire burning intensely behind me.

The tents.

The loot.

What remained of the bodies.

Everything was engulfed in flames as I left the burning bandit settlement.

From there I just walked aimlessly in the darkness of the night, with my crimson-dyed cloak sticking to me, until my mind went blank for complete and I lost consciousness while taking another step.


	5. Snooping around

**Hello everyone!**

**I hope you're alright and taking care yourselves duint these hard times. Remember to stay at home, watch over your elders and stay health. I know most of you must be working even during the quarantines, so I bring you this chapter so you cheer up your day.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Snooping around

-o-

I don't know when I fell unconscious, but when I woke up I could only feel a soft grass in the palm of my hand. The sun was shining high in a cloudless sky and I didn't feel it was burning but it was simply warm. As far as I could see, I was in a forest clearing with leafy trees as far as the eye could see with its green leaves swaying quietly at the mercy of the gentle breeze that ruffled my hair and, in the center of the place, was a sight Identical to the one I had months ago. On a hill in the middle of that clearing stood a huge oak tree surrounded by several huge white rocks the size of a table.

Monty's voice rang through my head with something he had told me before:

_"Also let me tell that, if at any point you feel lost and looking for a path, look for this tree: The Arumatsuri. Here you will find the answers you will need."_

I don't know how I had done it, but I had returned to that place and, if I was there, maybe he was too.

"Monty ?! Are you here?" I called my favorite Grim Reaper while climbing the hill. I got no answer.

The shadow of the oak covered me when I heard something that stopped me: a whisper. I thought it was someone behind the tree, but then I realized rather it came from the huge trunk. I didn't understand what I was whispering, but I felt it was as if it invited me to get closer.

Do you know that feeling when you go to a museum to see that there is a sign of not touching the exhibits and do you feel like handling it? Well, that was my case. I put a hand on the wood and suddenly felt as if I was sucked into a black hole.

I was in a boat in the middle of the sea. I could feel the sea breeze with its salty smell. Under my feet the ship rocked at the mercy of the tide as it headed for a destination unknown to me. I hardly recognized her because she was with her back to me, but I distinguished that long dark hair adorned by the same black bun to hide cat ears. She was dressed in a long white tail coat with tight black pants.

"Blake ..." I was glad to see my friend again and safe.

I ran to her but my hand went through her when I wanted to touch her shoulder. It was as if she were some kind of mirage. Or maybe I was.

"Blake, can you hear me? It's me, Kaiden," I spoke to her, but she didn't seem to notice that I was there.

The girl reached a hand towards her ribbon and removed it, exposing her cat ears that swayed to feel fresh air.

"It seems I won't need this anymore," Blake said quietly before releasing the cloth, which fell into the water and was dragged by the waves as she walked along the ship.

I couldn't understand what was happening. Why didn't she listen to me? Did I die and now I was in some kind of limbo?

I looked at the ribbon that was still moving on the waves, abandoned as it was no longer necessary to hide the brunette's faunus heritage. It was then that I saw a black fin with a red membrane peeking over the water before diving again, taking the ribbon with it.

I stifled a scream, although I didn't know if it mattered since no one would hear me scream being in the same situation as the ghost Casper.

"There's something in the water!" I told Blake, even if I didn't know if she would get a word in the end. "Blake, let the captain know before-"

Before I could say anything else, I felt a force pulling me from behind and the scene changed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I recognized the place. I was in one of the corridors of the Schnee mansion. The floor shone impeccably as always, without a speck of dust that would damage the clean image that was reflected.

In front of me was a huge family painting hanging on one of the pale blue walls of the mansion. In her parents were represented, a woman of tired look of white hair next to a man in white suit with shirt and blue tie, whose hair and dark mustache that began to pale. Below them were his children; Two girls and one boy. On the left side was the one that should be the eldest daughter, with a scalp equal to that of her mother tied in a bun and with her eyes reflecting a sad look as if she didn't want to be there at that moment. Beside him was a boy dressed in a white shirt and blue pants, who saw the portraitist in a better mood than his sister. And finally there was the other sister, who shared the same look as the older one.

That last one recognized her perfection. It was Weiss, who was standing next to me at the same moment. She was still as usual in her blue dress with a mini skirt with a ribbon tied at the waist.

I extended a hand to touch her, but, as with Blake, it was useless to go through it as if it were a mirage in the coldest place of Remnant.

Letting out a tired sigh, Weiss turned around and kept walking along the corridor until he reached a door.

She approached cautiously while listening to a voice that was barely muffled by wood.

"I'm not talking about the good of my company, I'm talking about the good of Atlas! Our entire kingdom!" I recognized the voice Jacques 'Lorax' Schnee.

"That is a load of garbage and you know it," and with him was my father, General James Ironwood. Hell, I really missed hearing his voice.

"I beg your pardon ?!"

Weiss opened the door as necessary to see what was happening inside.

My father was sitting in a chair, trying to calm the idiot, who whipped his glass of alcohol on the table in front of him.

"Jacques, will you please just hear me out?"

"You are a trusted friend and ally to this family, James. But what you're suggesting is absurd."

"You are blowing it out of proportion."

"The council will never agree to it!"

"You forget, I hold two seats on the council."

Yeah. With the balls he dealt with that egomaniac tycoon, he would need two chairs to sit at ease. Way to go, dad.

"Your Dust however you have already cost me millions," Jackass barked angrily. "I can promise you, I have not forgotten!"

I had heard something about it on my trip. On Atlas's orders, Dust's export had been halted until further notice. That had angered many people and caused an exponential growth in the cost of supplies.

"So, this IS about you?" my father recriminated the man in a suit before the door closed behind Weiss, capturing the attention of the two adults.

"Miss Schnee. My apologies," Dad greeted Weiss with a polite bow. "I should have been gone by now."

I was startled to see my father's eyes. They looked tired with dark circles growing underneath. His beard looked sloppy.

"It's-it's okay," Weiss replied, hesitantly.

"We'll continue this at another time," Dad glared once again at the CEO of SDC.

"Indeed. Klein can show you out."

"Hmph, don't worry. I know the way. Until next time, Jacques." Dad headed for the door but, before opening, he looked at Weiss, "Please know, you'll always have a home at Atlas Academy, Miss Schnee. We'll be back in session before you know it."

"Thank you, General," Weiss replied, nodding. "Is there any news from Kaiden?"

"Nothing so far, but he must be fine," he assured her. "Sending a letter from the most remote parts of Anima is complicated. Maybe I will soon know something and I'll let you know."

"I'd appreciate it."

Dad gave her a kind smile before crossing the door, leaving her with the albino Lorax.

"Did you forget your manners while you were away?"

Weiss exhaled sadly, "No, Father. I'm sorry."

"Can you believe there are still people in the world that blame Atlas for what happened to Beacon? To Vale?" Jacques complained as he sat behind his desk across the room.

"Well, they weren't there," she objected.

"It's a wonder Ironwood wasn't stripped of his rank!" With every word, my desire to tear away that stupid mustache grew. "I suppose the council trusts him. For better or worse."

"I trust him."

Her father looked at her, as if saying 'how innocent you are, girl'.

"Thanks to him, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other kingdoms! 'A precautionary measure,' as he puts it, until we're certain no one is going to declare war. How anyone could possibly find that to be sound logic is beyond me. "

"Because you can't see anything beyond yourself, pendejo," I took advantage of the strange circumstance of speaking without being heard.

"Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be holding a charity concert in the coming weeks. We need to show the people of Remnant that we are on their side. That we are all victims of the Fall of Beacon."

"That's... wonderful news!" Weiss celebrated the news by forcing a smile.

"I know," Jacques smiled satisfied with himself, as if he had found the cure of being a total moron. "And I think it would make a lot of people happy if you performed at the event."

Weiss was perplexed at her father's idea, "Excuse me?"

"Many forget that you were there. My own daughter, a Schnee, on the grounds defending another kingdom! We need to remind them. And we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever."

"Are you asking me if I'd like to sing, or telling me?"

"I think it would make a lot of people happy," Jacques replied in a tone that indicated exactly that Weiss would necessarily have to accept the request.

She looked down with another sigh, "I'll start practicing."

"That's my girl," the man exclaimed satisfied, with a frivolous smile as his daughter left the studio, probably to begin singing practices for the aforementioned concert. Once she left, he whispered softly, "It was too easy."

Seeing that despicable man with that sly mirk hidden by that pale bush that he called moustache,I swore that if I ever had the chance, however small it might be, I would punch him in that man's face. Meanwhile, I was pulled again by the same invinsible force.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Another place I met instantly.

I was outside Ruby's house in Patch. The two-story wooden house was the same as always with the exception that the snow that covered it when I left was already melted and in front was the shed where I once helped Ruby maintain Crescent Rose (in addition to having time in private with her).

The night had to be late, since the moon was high and illuminating the figures that were outside at that time.

Taiyang, Port and Oobleck-

"Doctor Oobleck!"

"What was that?"

"I don't know. I felt that someone was belittling my doctorate."

-and DOCTOR Oobleck talked outside the house.

"Thanks for having us over, Tai," Port thanked the man.

"Anytime. You're always welcome."

"It may be awhile before we return," Doctor Oobleck spoke. "There's still much work to be done at the school. Even Glynda is doing her best to keep everything in control."

"I hesitate to ask but ..." Port said thinking the right words. "Is there any word from young Miss Rose?"

Taiyang's eyes were sad to mention his daughter, "Not yet?"

"Have you thought about going after her? Trying to get her home?" The doctor asked.

With a strong breath, Taiyang looked downcast.

"I've got to ... look after some things," he replied, turning to look at a window on the top floor. It was fleeting, but I could see a shadow hiding to the side. "To think that it all started since Kaiden left. I should have done about it. She will surely be looking for him who knows where."

"Actually, I think we have an idea of where he should be," Port said.

"Several months ago we found him in one of the skirmishes to recover an area of Beacon that went wrong," Oobleck explained. "From what he told us, he would go to Atlas to talk to the General to agree on Yang's prosthesis. Once he finished there, he would go to Mistral to see Professor Lionheart."

"Maybe their paths have already crossed," Port said. "Maybe she already found him."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Taiyang seemed reluctant at the idea. "I don't know what would happen if those met, since Kaiden was the one who left first. Damn, Ruby was really hurt after that."

"You just have to have faith that everything will work out," Oobleck assured the blond man. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Even for Yang."

"I hope so," the father sighed, turning to look at the window.

Before I was taken out of that moment again, I ran into the house. I didn't know if I could move the door, but I still prepared for the impact just to get through the wall cleanly. I didn't stop to think about how I did that and climbed the stairs until I reached the door that led to Yang and Ruby's room.

Once again I went through the wall without problems to enter a room that was dark, barely illuminated by the moonlight coming through the window. The twin beds were always there along with bookshelves full of books or other curious objects, such as scale models. On a chest of drawers, with moonlight shining on its silver surface, rested a metal arm that I had briefly seen in the Atlas Research and Development laboratories.

Next to the window was someone sitting on the floor with his head between his legs. The blond hair fell from behind like a strong golden waterfall that stood out in the room despite the darkness of the place.

"Yang..." I called my friend, even though she couldn't hear me.

As I got closer, I could hear a silent sob with the girl's shoulders shaking underneath the blonde mane. Seeing her like that filled me with sadness and guilt. I had abandoned not only Ruby, but also Yang. And when I left, that just gave Ruby a push to also leave, either to find me or for another reason, and leaving her sister. Even I must have been a reason Ruby was in Anima at the time. Maybe I was no better than Raven, since we both left Yang when she needed the most support and care.

I wanted to hug her, but I knew I couldn't touch her in the state I was in.

"I understand that you are upset with me and I understand," I whispered even if it was to myself. "I left and that brought Ruby pain that only prompted her to leave too. I know you can't hear me, but I just want you to know I'm sorry."

Yang kept crying, unaware of my presence.

This time I was prepared for the pull that got me out of there.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Now I was in the corridor of an inn. From what I saw through the window, it was late at night when a door opened and two boys I knew well came out. Lie Ren, who now wore his long dark hair loose with hispink eyes expressing always a calm, was being accompanied by Jaune Arc, who seemed to have had an update on his armor with several modifications.

"In a moment we come with dinner," Jaune indicated to the occupants of the room.

Then she closed the door and walked down the hall with Ren at her side.

"Do you think Ruby will be alright?" the pink-eyed boy asked, concerned.

"I honestly don't know," Jaune replied. "She seems to be calm, but I feel that since we left Lotam, she has been uneasy."

"Since she learned that Kaiden passed by, perhaps she has been determined to find him."

"Kaiden ..." Jaune spat out my name as if it were an insult. "She hasn't heard from him in months and now it turns out that we're on the same continent and going in the same direction. If we ever find him ..."

Jaune clenched his fists, his face distorted with rage, until Ren put a hand on his shoulder and reassured him.

"Sorry. I think Ruby is not the only one with mixed feelings about this."

"We certainly don't know if we'll find him," Ren said calmly, "but for now, we have to focus on the now ... which is looking for something good to eat."

The blonde closed his eyes and repeated deeply, "It's true. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Do you think there is somewhere we can find freshly baked cookies? That will cheer Ruby up."

"Maybe we will find something if we ask."

The two boys kept walking away, leaving me alone in the hallway by the door where they came out.

I was debating what to do. I wanted to see the Ruby, but I was also afraid of what Jaune said. She was uneasy after going through Lotam. Maybe they met my grandmother and she told them about my stay there. However, I felt that I was not going to go anywhere else until I saw her with my own eyes.

Like a good ghost, I crossed the wall and came to the room, which was not very different from other inns where I had hoped with the only difference that there were two beds.

To my surprise, the first thing I came across was Nora emerging from what appeared to be the bathroom, with only a pink towel wrapped around her body.

"Phew, there is nothing better than a hot shower after walking for several days," she exclaimed with pleasure. "Hey, Ruby. The shower is free if you want to use the rest of the hot water."

To my surprise, the first thing I came across was Nora emerging from what appeared to be the bathroom, with only a pink towel wrapped around her body.

"Phew, there is nothing better than a hot shower after walking for several days," she exclaimed with pleasure. "Hey, Ruby. The shower is free if you want to use the rest of the hot water."

I could have broken my neck because of the speed with which I turned to see across the room.

Those silver eyes.

That dark hair with red tips.

Those soft lips.

There, on one of the beds, was Ruby.

His dress was different from what I was used to. Instead of a dark red lace trimmed dress, she was now wearing a white high-neck décolletage blouse with brown studded wristbands on the arms. She still had the black skirt, but now she complemented it with a black corset.

She was beautiful.

However, that beauty was overshadowed by a sad look on her scroll, in which a photo was shown on the screen that I managed to glimpse. That one we had taken one night when we had to have dinner and we stopped in a park to rest on one of the benches. I well remember that occasion since this time she had eaten too much and rested her head in my lap while I stroked her hair. I still remember the soft feel of her hair in my hand.

"Ruby," Nora called out to her, which startled her and closed the device quickly.

"Ah yes, Nora. Thank you."

The redhead looked at her strangely.

"Ruby, are you alright?"

"Yes. Yes. Everything is fine. Why shouldn't I be?"

"I've been a little agitated since we left Lotam. Is it because of Kaiden?"

Ruby opened her mouth, perhaps to deny the assumption, but, in the end, she remained silent.

"You are thinking about him, right?"

"Kai is out there. Maybe a few days away and I'm sure he's going to Mistral too."

"And what will you do if you find him? We don't know if he wants to go with us. Most likely, he'll order us to take you back to Patch."

"I dont know!" Ruby snapped at her. "But I have to try. I haven't heard from him, and when I do, it's through his grandmother, who tells me he left the day before. I know he wanted to tell me something else in the letter he left me, but he was limited for some reason. Ugh, why did I have to burn it?"

"If that's true, then he must have been when Shion was attacked."

"It is Kaiden we are talking about. He may have fought the bandits and the Grimms while everyone evacuated."

"That's the Kaiden you remember, but ..."

"But what?"

"What if the Kaiden we hear about isn't the same one you remember?"

"What do you mean?" Ruby inquired, puzzled by her friend's statement.

"You said yourself that he acted differently after what happened in Beacon and after hearing about his parents. Even he seemed like something was bothering him before the Vyal Festival started."

"Are you saying that he knew about the attack?"

"I don't know. Even Pyrrha seemed to act weird after our playoff fight." Nora's face darkened at the mention of the deceased, "Unfortunately, we will no longer be able to ask her."

"Nora, I'm sorry. I ..."

"You don't have to apologize, because I understand you. If I were in your position with Ren, Jaune or with you, I would also be worried. But, remember that we are team JNRR and we have to stay together."

Ruby giggled, "More like RNJR team."

Satisfied with having managed to get a smile out of the girl, Nora hugged her gently.

"It doesn't matter what name we have as long as we are together and united," she said. "Everything will be fine. If we ever meet Kaiden, I promise you won't be alone. Ren, Jaune and I will cover your back."

"Thanks Nora," Ruby sighed.

Seeing that made me feel relieved, but with an extra dose of guilt. I was glad to know that she was well accompanied by the former JNPR members, but it pained me to hear the distress in her voice when she spoke about me. Once again I regretted leaving. If she hadn't, maybe I would be with her right then. But that would no longer be possible. You cannot change the past. You can only deal with the consequences.

I reached out to Ruby, vainly trying to touch her, but once again I felt the tug that was trying to get me out of there. I struggled, fighting to gain just one more second to keep watching her.

In the end it was useless.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Now that place was vaguely familiar to me, only now there were no mountains of dust and cobwebs. Instead, the oven in the room burned proudly, its glow illuminating the place.

A figure was on the forge, manipulating a small piece of metal that glowed red hot before passing it to the plateau in the middle of the room. With the help of various tools, he molded the material into a deformed square with what must have been a type of nail on top. He took the figure with tweezers and immersed it in a bucket full of water, which bubbled from the heat that emanated from the metal to the same that released a dense cloud of steam.

"Perfect," the man exclaimed triumphantly, his wrinkled features with his sweat-covered face glowing in the firelight.

Next, he took the metal in his bare hands, groping in case it was still a little hot, and headed for a wooden chair, which turned, leaving the legs facing the ceiling. With a strong hammer blow, the nail of the frame entered without complications and fitted perfectly. The man put the chair in its place and sat on it, taking various positions to see if it didn't tilt.

He did not and the man was satisfied with his work.

"No more accidents with you," he exclaimed happily.

Then a door slammed, drawing the man's attention.

I felt my blood freeze in my veins when I saw a thin boy with a clump of red hair enter. He was younger than I knew, but it was he himself who would be a participant in the fall of Beacon. The same one who betrayed me by helping Cinder and breaking Requiem.

"Ragna ..." the old man exclaimed walking hurriedly towards the boy, but stopped short when he realized what he had in his hands.

Ragna carried a long crimson spear with a diamond-shaped head. On the handle you could see various details of the same reddish color that extended throughout the weapon.

"My boy, what are you doing with that spear?" the man exclaimed in fear. "That spear is from Alice Noir."

"It was, grandfather," Ragna corrected with a crooked smile. "She is dead. A Soul Reaper murdered her and I retrieved the spear before anyone else found it."

"My boy, what are you doing with that spear?" the man exclaimed in fear. "That spear is from Alice Noir."

"It was, grandfather," Ragna corrected with a crooked smile. "She is dead. A Soul Reaper murdered her and I retrieved the spear before anyone else found it."

"Ragna, you know the rules of my weapons: they always accompany the owner, both in life and in death, unless inherited. Give it to me, I will send it back to be buried along with Alice."

"NO!" Ragna clung to the weapon. "That woman didn't deserve to have one of your works. My mother told me she let my father die."

"You carry a hatred that is not your responsibility, boy," the man chided his grandson as he snatched away the spear. "My daughter couldn't bear the death of your father and I still regret that I couldn't help her before she took her own life. That is why I took you in and took care of you all these years: to guide you and make sure you do not have the same fate as her ... but this is not the way. "

"I am more worthy to bear your weapons than that woman, grandfather," Ragna roared in anger. "I am more worthy than all those to whom you have given your weapons."

"Of course you're not with that attitude! You just show how unprepared you are to deserve one! Damn it, Ragna! I was worried about you in these months when you didn't show up just to come to me with this nonsense! Go to your room. We will talk in the morning about your punishment. "

"No!"

The old man was puzzled by the boy's rebellious act, "What did you say?"

"I said no," he replied defiantly. "I have grown tired of being your slave, Muramasa. Since I came here, I have been doing everything you asked me to do: collect wood, clean the forge, go to town to buy your materials. But you don't teach me anything to learn to fight like you did in your time. And I'm tired of waiting."

"That is why I don't teach you a damn thing!" Muramasa refuted. "You need discipline and patience. All the tasks I have ordered have been for you to build character before learning the basics, but I have observed you. You get frustrated easily and that is what you have to control before learning to fight. Yes you don't, you can't move forward. "

"That's a lie," Ragna's eyes flashed with anger. "You just fear that I am much better than you and no longer depend on you."

Muramasa glared at him to the point of losing patience.

"Enough. Go to your room."

"You will no longer give me orders..."

It all happened quickly.

A knife appeared on Ragna's hand in a red flash and pounced on his grandfather, who had little time to react before the edge of the blade dug into his chest. Muramasa stumbled backwards before hitting the plateau, where he leaned before losing strength and collapsing to the ground. His bald head was covered in sweat as his skin began to pale. He went into shock.

"Surprised, right? I've been training on my own and unlocked my semblance. I can store any weapon as long as I mark it with my blood. The knife was the first, but you can keep it."

"Why?" the old man could barely shout what his last words might be.

"I will no longer be under your shadow, just as I will not be under anyone's," Ragna stated as he looked coldly at the dying man. "I will no longer carry my father's surname, Grimes, or yours, Sengo. From now on I will be Ragna Kor and claim every weapon you have made as mine for my blood right."

Muramasa looked like he wanted to say something else, whether it was a plea for his life or a curse on his grandson, but nothing came out of his mouth and his eyes turned glassy as he looked into nothingness before taking his last breath.

Ragna didn't seem disturbed by the death of his grandfather, just simply putting aside his body, as if it were a sack of potatoes, and took Longinus. He ran the palm of his hand over the edge of the spear and smeared its blood onto the handle, marking the weapon as his own. With a wave of his hand, Longinus disappeared with a red glow.

"One goes and 99 more remain."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I didn't feel the force that pulled me out of that scene. My mind was still processing what I had just seen.

I witnessed the death of the blacksmith Muramasa and discovered a bit of Ragna. His mother apparently committed suicide and he was placed under the care of his grandfather, whom he murdered in cold blood. I didn't know how to feel about it; it was between feeling sorry for the boy or indignation at the haughty attitude towards the man who gave him shelter. I couldn't decide what my stance was going to be about it when I got to another place that I didn't recognize.

It was in a room with dark walls so high and small windows tinted with rose that let in light from outside in that hue. On the sides were hundreds of candles that lit the room, although it still felt gloomy. The floor was covered in a tatami tapestry, which could be a training place.

In the center were two figures: a kneeling man and the figure of a woman who was hidden in the shadows that projected next to the wall where there were no lighted candles and where the light that filtered through the windows did not reach.

"Is your mission clear?" the woman spoke with authority, in a calm but firm tone. All she could see was that she was wearing a black dress with red accents. What alarmed me were his arms, pale as snow with black veins running down his arm.

"Yes, your highness," the man with the braided ponytail answered in a voice that made me shudder. It was like listening to a snake speak. "Capture and bring the silver-eyed girl."

"Without killing her," the woman remarked. "I want her alive."

"Of course, my lady," the man replied by bowing his head more. "But what about the other boy, Kaiden Noir? It's the only thing that keeps Ragna on our side."

"You just focus on bringing the girl," the woman replied with the same firmness. "If he appears, you are free to bring him in as well. I am sure Kaiden will be where Ruby is."

"As you wish. I will leave immediately."

The man stood up, letting me see a twisted smile that gave me the chills, and went to the door of the room. If you look for "psychopath" in the dictionary, you'd find a picture of him.

"And, Tyrian, do not fail."

"That is not an option for me, your Majesty," the now identified Tyrian replied with an exaggerated bow and left the room.

Silence reigned and the woman remained in the shadows a little longer before stepping forward, revealing herself in the candlelight and causing my heart to panic. Her face, like her arms, was completely pale with dark veins spreading from her neck like dead tree branches. Her white hair was arranged in such a way that there were six offshoots wrapped together that also suspends several obsidian-colored ornaments. However, what struck me most were her eyes, which were jet black sclera in her eyes with glowing crimson irises.

My body trembled with terror. Such a presence seemed to reach to the depths of my being and instill fear itself. If it wasn't because nobody could see me, touch me, or feel that I was there, I would run away from there. Or so I thought.

The woman's eyes focused on my location, watching me out of the corner of her eye as her head slowly turned.

"It seems like I'm not alone," she spoke, amused. "I wonder who it would be. Ozpin? I don't think, this presence is different. The Brothers? Very unlikely."

She approached slowly, her hand reaching out to me. I wanted to walk away but my legs didn't react, petrified with fear as the red-eyed entity got closer and closer.

For the first time I wanted to get out of there.

The hand with black nails was right in front of my face when I felt the saving presence of the unknown force that pulled me out of there.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Never before have I been so relieved to fall onto your back on the grass. Somehow I had returned to the Arumatsuri, which remained imposing with its enormous dome with its leaves swaying wildly in the breeze and its cold shade under.

The last moments of that vision still lurked in my mind as I breathed heavily and felt my face drenched in sweat.

I didn't know how I knew it at the time, but I was sure of one thing: that woman was the one Qrow had warned me about. The Grimm mistress. The true author of the fall of Beacon. Salem.

The presence of that woman was overwhelming, as if I were an ant and she was a huge boot. I felt insignificant. I didn't understand how it was possible that she was aware of my presence there, if in other cases it had been as if I were a ghost. I have never felt so terrified before, and that I have fought against Grimm for years and murdered a tribe of bandits recently.

"You had fun?" someone spoke.

I stood up suddenly hearing the voice, reaching for my sword... but it wasn't there. The sheath was empty.

"Wow, wow, what a calamity," the voice spoke again, as if speaking to an injured child.

I was very surprised to find the origin of those words. On one of the immense rocks surrounding the tree, was an old man. His wrinkled skin made his eyes look tiny while his bald head gleamed in the sunlight. The last time I saw him, he had been stabbed by his grandson. But he was there, alive.

"Hey boy. What the hell did you do to the sword I forged for Alice?"

In front of me was the legendary blacksmith, Muramasa Sengo.


	6. Remeeting

**Hello everyone!**

**I hope all of you are at home safe or taking precautions if you have to go out. Stay cool and safe until all this mess be over.**

**I think this chapter will be more slow paced than the others, but it's necessary for what's coming.**

**Enjoy and be safe!**

Chapter 6: Remeeting

-o-

I was more than astonished to see the old man in that place, after having seen him being killed by his grandson. Unlike back then,he seemed really alive (ironic as it may be) on top of that stone and examining Requiem with agile hand movements. He was wearing a completely white Mao suit, giving him an air of purity and calm as he sat with his legs crossed and his wrinkled bare feet exposed.

"Excuse me, you are ..."

"Muramasa Sengo," the old man said as he continued to examine the sword. "Legendary Weapons Smith."

I felt like a spark was igniting inside me, because I had finally found the blacksmith... even if I had no idea what was going on.

"Sir, I've been looking for you for a long time. I wanted to ask you ..."

"Go around the tree," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"Go around the tree," he repeated, his finger circling.

I was surprised by such an indication, but still I did what he asked walking around the huge trunk. I had already made more than one lap when I realized that Muramasa was no longer where he should be. It was difficult to know for sure, since all the stones looked the same. I searched everywhere, but without success. The old man was gone, taking my sword with him.

Had I been robbed by the ghost? Great.

I looked everywhere for someone else there, but there was only me. I knew it would be useless to look further and there was no indication that there was a population nearby, so I decided to take a break.

I sat with my back against the tree, its shadow cooling me on that sunny day that seemed to be stopped at noon, since the sun had not moved at all since I woke up there.

It must have been a nice scene for anyone who saw me there: a boy with his face and cloak covered in blood resting under a leafy tree. A masterpiece.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to think what to do next.

"What a good place to rest, right?"

My eyes widened at the sound of that voice. It couldn't be. It was her?

In front of me was someone that I only remembered in my memories. Those silky dark hair. Those dark brown eyes. That face that looked like the one I saw every time I was in front of a mirror. I didn't know how, but there she was.

I was tempted to run to her and hug her tightly, but I gave up out of embarrassment. She didn't deserve to be in front of her after what I had done. The blood covering me showed what I had become: a murderer. I backed away because this thought, but it was then that I felt arms wrap around me.

"It's ok," she whispered to me. "I know what happened and I understand. You had to do what you had to do."

As if these words had taken a great load off me, I clung to the red flannel shirt she was wearing and cried all that she had in store.

"I missed you so much... mom," I could barely say between sobs.

"I waited a long time for you to call me that," I could feel the joy in his voice as he held me tighter. "I'm sorry I kept it hidden from you all this time. There were many time I wanted to tell you, but I feared it only could cause a great harm to you."

"You were doing it to protect me," his scent the same despite the years. "You just wanted me to be safe and have a good life. But I screwed it up."

"Take a good look at me," she told me, taking my head in her hands to look her in the eye. "I have seen what has happened. What you have had to endure without me. But I have also seen your good deeds: you helped a family to fix their cart, you have defended villages from the Grimm, you have even given peace to my mother. "

"But I abandoned Ruby and murdered all those people."

"I also had to leave you so that you could live happily. Furthermore, those people were bandits who had attacked a town of innocent people. In truth, I also had to spill blood on my missions."

"Seriously? You never told me that."

"It is difficult to tell a child looking at you with admiration that you have killed members of a criminal group."

"And how come you are here? First I found Muramasa and now you are here."

"It was kind of weird. I was in the cabin watching my Friends marathon when television switched to a summary of your life so far. I was alarmed, so I ran to the door and here you see me. I didn't expect you to get to the Arumatsuri."

"Do you know this place?"

"I had heard legends about people who had near-death experiences coming here," my mother explained. "I saw it for the first time years before I saw you, when an ursa pushed me down a ravine. Here I met my father. I told him about my life. I told him about you. Doing so made me feel like I was closing a cycle of my life and a better one started. "

"So he is here too?"

"Why don't you turn around and see for yourself?"

I turned slowly.

Behind me was the same man I saw from Alice's memories and my grandmother's photographs. A tall, stocky man looked at me with a tender look in his green eyes, as if I were a newborn baby. Long dark hair fell to her shoulders like mane. He wore a white shirt that exposed a hairy chest and dark pants that highlighted strong legs.

"So this is my grandson," the man said, looking me up and down.

"Hello," my voice cracked. "I am Kaiden."

Then he takes me in his arms and lifts me effortlessly, letting me see a big smile on his face.

"I waited all my life (and the one that followed) to see a grandson of mine!" he exclaimed euphorically. "Alice, he looks so much like you."

"He also has something like you."

Just when my grandfather put me down back on the ground, he slapped me hard on the head.

"That will teach you to listen to your mother," the man chided me. "If she tells you not to use the Overdrive, don't do it."

"I know," I rubbed off the punch. "I learned it the hard way. But, hey, I made a breakthrough even though it's not that much."

"Are you kidding?" Mom stepped in. "You are about to master it."

"She is right," my grandfather agreed. "I saw you with those bandits. You have almost all the pieces of the puzzle and you won't be long to see the whole picture."

"Seriously? What am I missing?"

"That is up to you to find out," my mother said, ruffling my hair. "You can do it."

"But I have a question now: why am I here? I'm not dead... yet."

"No, but you needed to come," Muramasa was back with my sword in his hands. "The Arumatsuri is also known as the tree of life, since it is located at a point between life and death. Tell me, what did you see when you touched it?"

"I saw several of my friends and what they were doing. I saw your death at the hands of Ragna. And then I saw ..." Just remembering Salem's face caused me panic.

"You saw her, right? Salem?"

I nodded.

"Ever since I arrived, the tree has been restless about it, sharing visions of what that woman has caused. It pained me to see my grandson participate in the fall of Beacon."

"But, I don't understand. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be ...?"

"Dead?" My mom and grandfather answered in unison.

"No offense," I apologized, "but yes."

"Well yes I am dead," Muramasa explained. "But, instead of going to a happy place in the afterlife, like your mother and grandfather, I stayed to be the guardian of the tree, because here I can know which of my weapons have been found by Ragna."

"Speaking of weapons, sir. Is there any way to repair Requiem?"

Muramasa peered closely at the sword and heaved a sad sigh.

"The damage was very catastrophic, both physically and spiritually. Tell me, were you able to speak with your sword?"

"Yes, I could hear it the more I used it. After it was broken, it hasn't spoken since then, even when I put the parts together."

"My weapons are legendary for a reason. You see, when I forge a new one, I apply my semblance: essence infusion, which allows me to take the very essence of something. Fire. Lightning. Wind. I have tried combinations that amazed me. And each user who carried these weapons indicated that they developed consciousness. Perhaps it was because I was basically giving part of my aura when I used my semblance. But yours was special."

"Why do you say so?"

"One day, seven years ago, Alice arrives and asks me to forge a sword for her student. I thought about what I could use to forge the weapon, but it was difficult to know what essence to use when you had still hadn't manifested your semblance. It was then that she had an idea."

"Do you remember that, before I left, you had an accident at a practice and your nose started bleeding?"

"Yes, you cleaned me with a handkerchief."

"And it was with that same handkerchief that I did something I hadn't done before," Muramasa explained with excitement, as if explaining the plot of his favorite series. "I took the essence of your blood and fused it with the metal that would take the form of your sword, even if I didn't know what effect it will have."

"I felt my bond with Requiem grow stronger the longer I wielded it," I explained. ·Not only could I feel thoughts, but when Ragna tried to pick him up, he screamed in pain and couldn't lift it."

"And when Requiem was broken, you felt his pain as yours, didn't you?" I nodded. "That shows that the bond between the two of you is stronger than expected."

"It was, but that ended when Requiem broke."

"Oh my boy, I still feel Requiem. Weak, but the conscience is still in here."

"Is there any way to repair it?" I asked with a glimpse of hope growing inside me.

"Yes, but I require material to do such thing."

"Well, I am not bringing any metal ingots that may be of use."

"Maybe not, but what about your armor?"

I was not sure if the armor I had worn for so long served to forge a weapon. It was only an old alloy that was used in the early versions of the Atlesian Knight, so the material used now was different and stronger. Also, the metal already had scratches and dents from that entire trip. I thought about asking a blacksmith to repair it, but I was also afraid he would make a change that I wouldn't like.

"My armor? I don't think it works. It's just an alloy from Atlas that is no longer used."

"Maybe, but you've been using it for years," the blacksmith explained. "Your shoulder pads and shin guards are imbued with your essence right now. Your aura. That is an important factor in repairing Requiem, because that will bring his consciousness back as a rope connecting both of you."

I hesitated for a moment. I had worn that armor for years from the time it fit me. It has protected me from blows, claws and other attacks in every fight. Detaching myself from my armor was difficult for me, but there was no other option if I wanted to repair Requiem.

I looked at my mother, "Sorry, Mom. I wouldn't do it if it wasn't necessary."

She put her hands on my shoulders and looked at me calmly.

"Okay. I'm proud that you've worn my armor all this time. Take this as proof that you've grown."

I took a deep breath and started taking off my armor with my mother's help, just leaving my gauntlets on. When I handed him over to Muramasa, I felt physically lighter by taking a weight off me, but I also felt regret for letting go of a part of my life.

"Very well, this will be more than enough," the old man said taking my armor. "I will make up for a mistake I made seven years ago."

"That mistake?"

"I usually know the person to whom I will forge the weapon," he said. "With that I can know what I will be doing and based on what semblance I will be working on. But that time I made an exception with your mother, since it was a last will request. I have always forged a weapon for a Noir. You would be the third, starting with your grandfather. "

"Oh my Leonidas," my grandfather exhaled with Nostalgia. "I still remember how I created rock walls with just one swing of my broadsword."

"I remember you camped out of my house for a month until I forged it for you." Then he turned to me, "But now I know who you are, your semblance and your ideals. With that I can make a weapon that is perfectly suited for you ... in exchange for something."

I already knew that everything was too perfect. Now it was time for the terms and conditions.

"Which would..."

Muramasa's eyes filled with sadness.

"As you know, my grandson is completely determined to get my weapons, not caring if they have an owner or not. Just like he took Masamune from Yori Asuma before killing her."

"Then you want me to get back the weapons he already has."

"That would be the first thing. Then you can do two things: One, you bury it. That way the weapon will come back with me to repair it and send it to be found by another user. Or Two, you find that person."

"And how will I know who to give it to?"

Muramasa simply shrugged, "That depends on you."

"Sure, no pressure." Of course there was pressure. "If I could go through all your tests and cross them again back, it must be a piece of cake."

"Why did you go through the tests again?"

"To return to town."

"Didn't you see the shortcut next to the house? It's the one I used to buy my groceries."

I didn't speak. Maybe I was feeling so frustrated then that I didn't notice it.

"Putting that aside, it's time. You have to go back. You have a mission ahead of you."

I looked at my mother and my grandfather. I had finally seen and talked to them, perhaps for the last time in my life. Leaving them made me feel an emptiness inside me. But there was no option with everything I knew now. I had to retrieve the weapons that Ragna had already taken from their true owners, I had to get to Mistral to investigate Cinder's infiltration, and, more importantly, I had to find Ruby. She wasn't safe if that Salem minion was after her.

"I have many things I want to talk to you about," I looked at my mother and her father. "With you two."

"You will next time," she replied, stroking my cheek.

"What could be the next near-death experience," my grandfather said calmly. "Which turns out to be a piece of the trade if you're a huntsman."

My mother nudged him hard, which my grandfather didn't seem to feel at all.

"What matters is that you know that we are both proud of you," my mother whispered as she gave me one last big hug. I took a deep breath, feeling its sweet scent one last time.

"I love you."

"And we love you too."

The hard part was letting them go. He wasn't sure when he would see them again. Perhaps when I had to return to Arumatsuri or when I died, but I hoped that the latter would not be soon.

I approached Muramasa, who was still on the same rock with my sword and armor in his lap.

"I'm ready."

The old man nodded.

"Requiem will be waiting for you when you wake up. And, Kaiden, if you see my grandson, tell him to leave his anger behind. Despite what he has done, I still have faith that he can still redeem himself."

"Sir, if I do find him, words would be the last thing we ever exchange."

Muramasa's expression showed an iota of regret.

"As much damage as he has done, for me he is still the spiritually wounded child that I took to my house and that I took care of since his mother died. You don't have to, but make an effort."

The blacksmith's gaze made me feel remorse for my words.

"For you, I will try."

"Thanks," he said with a pained smile. "Now close your eyes."

I did what he asked before I felt like I was falling on my back.

Now I was going back to my trip, hoping that this time I could do better.

I did what was asked of me, taking a deep breath and preparing for what was to come. I felt a slight bump on my forehead and my body fell backwards as if it were a puppet whose strings had been cut. For a moment I hit the grass, but then it was as if I were going through a thin piece of paper before my body plunged into the darkness.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I woke up in the same place where I had colpassed that night. The sun was almost overhead with several clouds partially eclipsing it. The leaves of the trees swayed at the mercy of the breeze that blew, resonating a natural symphony with the song of the birds.

Hasn't it ever happened to you that you sleep so well that you wake up and feel wonderful? No? Well, neither did I, but how I felt at the time was the closest thing. Yes, I was still covered in blood, but I felt good despite having slaughtered a tribe of bandits. I couldn't take that burden off me, but I also felt a renewed strength to keep going and continue my mission.

I brought my hand to my right side, where my sword was. The scabbard was the same with its dark color, but as I unsheathed the weapon, I was able to see Muramasa's work. The blade had completely changed, now being jet black and thin with a finer appearance. The silver hilt now curved downward, surrounding the hand that gripped it.

That was Requiem. The shape was different, but it was the same sword that had always accompanied me. I could feel it.

"Req?" I called the sword.

For a moment I received no answer, until a familiar voice was heard in my head.

"Kaiden?"

Hearing him speak after so long was a relief. I didn't think I missed him so much.

"I've missed you so much, buddy."

"I miffed you a tot doo," I was puzzled by the way he spoke to me.

"All good?"

"Well I dink Muramasa put fome pieces where they shudun have and I enfed up half dummy," the sword stammered in my mind. "But we will still continue to fight the baddyl monsters tofether, right?"

I was shocked at the idea that Muramasa had made a mistake re-forging the sword. There was no way he could have ruined it on purpose… or that's what I thought before Requiem started laughing in my head.

"Son of a bitch, I almost forgot how irritating you were."

"Admit it, bitch: you missed me. Also, remember that I'm you."

"Unfortunately," I replied recovering from my shock. "Still, I'm glad to hear you again. Seriously, I'm sorry about everything that happened."

"You didn't break me, Kaiden. Ragna did, but that won't happen now. We'll be ready."

"Very true," I agreed. "Now we are together."

"So now what's next?"

"There are several things I have to tell you about, but in short, we have to go to Mistral to investigate the academy for taking Cinder to Beacon. But first we have to find Ruby. She may be in danger."

"In danger? Why?"

I remembered what I saw in that vision of Salem commissioning someone to go after the silver-eyed girl.

"Shit," Requiem thought alarmed.

"Even if she's with what's left of JNPR, I have to make sure she's fine."

"You alone?"

"Yep."

"Against the mistress of the Grimms with her cronies and those dark monsters?"

"Exact."

The sword weighed my words carefully.

"Certainty of death. Small chance of success," he remained silent. "What are we waiting for?"

I couldn't help but giggle as I sheathed my sword, settled my backpack and walked towards the nearest path.

There was a silver-eye girl to protect.


	7. Scorpions and birds (Reprisal)

**Hello dear followers!**

**Ready for another chpater?!**

**I hope you're taking care of your health during these hard times and not injecting disinfectant like certain orange moron said. **

**These days have been kinda boring so I already have the drafts of the next two chapters, so I'll work on them this week.**

**Enjoy and be careful!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Scorpions and birds (Reprisal)

-o-

Honestly, I must admit that having Requiem back made the trip more enjoyable, putting aside the sword didn't stop talking as we caught up with everything that happened during those long months. Even playing "I spy" became a success for several days of walking since, even if I could have taken the train at the station in the neighboring town of Taro to reach Mistral, I would not be able to find Ruby if I arrived in the kingdom earlier.

Fighting 100% Requiem was better than I thought. When we came across a caravan being besieged by a group of Grimm, we were both more than willing to go on the attack. Every movement with the sword was fast and accurate, as if it were a part of my arm. It hardly weighed when I was holding it, in addition to discovering a few tricks that I will talk to you about later.

At every break I had, I was looking for a better way to reach the Overdrive, but most of the methods I thought of only made things more complicated. There were a few that looked promising, but I wasn't sure they would work.

As I figured out the solution to that dilemma, I continued on my way adding a new dynamic every time I reached a town: asking about a group with a girl with silver eyes with them. In the first ones I asked they didn't give me any results, but it was in a settlement where I obtained a positive and went to the next one where the same thing happened. It was in the third that I knew I was taking the right path, being only two days behind. It was in the 5th town that I had my last clue of Ruby's location and company: Higanbana.

I stopped at the town an afternoon, deciding to spend the night there. The place was like the others: peaceful, crowded and with an inn. I entered the place to rent a room.

"Excuse me, I'd like a room for the night," I indicated to the man behind the bar.

"Sure, 20 lien."

I had already gotten used to the harsh prices of lodgings, so I paid and was thankful that I didn't have to camp that night.

"Liu, take this boy to room 3," the bartender ordered taking the cash. "Liu? Where are you, girl?"

It was then that I heard a voice. A groan. It was weak, but it seemed close. The man also seemed to have heard him as he left his post behind the canteen and went through a door behind him. It was a few seconds when I heard the man scream.

I jumped on the bar and walked through the door to what must have been a supply room. The place was dark with the lamp off, giving it a gloomy atmosphere among the supply shelves and barrels of alcohol. Behind boxes filled with sacks of flour was the kneeling bartender, and in his arms was a girl in a red dress. Her skin was pale with her veins visible to the naked eye and her face covered in sweat. Her breathing was heavy, her chest rising and falling with difficulty.

"Help," the man was terrified of the girl's condition.

"Is there a doctor here?"

He didn't speak. His arms trembled as they cradled the girl. I shook his shoulder, which made him come to himself momentarily, "Yes."

I took the girl and carried her to the door.

"Take me, we don't have much time."

The man moved quickly, opening the door for me before shooting off into the street, heading for a building a few feet away. The bartender nearly knocked down the door when an old woman opened it for us. Without waiting for any indication, we took the girl to one of the beds.

"What's going on?" the old woman asked alarmed by our irruption.

"It's Liu," the man replied. "We found her like this. I don't know what's wrong with her."

"It was a man ..." the girl spoke weakly. "He came ... asked about a silver-eyed girl ... I told him what I knew ... but still ..."

"Don't talk, girl," the doctor scolded her as she examined her. "It is poison of some kind."

"Can you cure it?" the bartender asked.

"I'll do what I can," she said taking the girl's pulse.

"Do you know where she went?" I questioned the girl, even if I was sorry to do it while she was in that condition. "The silver-eyed girl?"

"Enough!" the old woman rebuked me. "She needs to save her strength to fight the infection."

"I have to know. That girl may be in danger."

"They went east," the bartender informed me. "They asked me about the best way to get to Mistral when they went to the inn to eat. I told them that if they wanted to get there fast, they would have to go through an abandoned settlement of which I didn't remember the name."

"Oniyuri," the medicine woman replied as she took jars from a shelf and emptied their contents into a bowl. "I remember the promises that it would be a place at the level of the kingdoms, but everything ended in ruins."

"When did they leave?"

"This morning. They should be there by now."

I turned around and went through door before taking the exit from town. I moved between the trees using the cable from my gauntlets to move fast, to such an extent that I put on the mask so that the branches didn't hit my face.

If the Tyrian guy in my vision hadn't caught up with Ruby yet, maybe I'd have a chance to intercept him before I found her. I couldn't allow myself to do the same to that waitress.

"We have to move fast," Requiem urged me.

"I know. I can't afford to lose anyone else."

"You won't. You are not alone, partner."

With those words of encouragement, I redoubled my efforts and hurried to my destination. I just begged not to be too late.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The more distance I crossed, the more my anxiety grew at not seeing Tyrian on the road. That meant something I refused to think about. I had to get to Oniyuri as soon as possible.

Tree after tree, I was swinging until I reached a point that I used to make a reconnaissance of the area. Using the zoom of the mask, I could see some buildings in the distance not far from where I was. From what I could see, there were no people and the buildings seemed abandoned, half-done. I could only hear the sound of my breathing until some familiar shots rang out from there.

"Shit," I cursed as I resumed my run. It was too late and Ruby had already made contact with Tyrian.

With the cables of my gauntlets I launched myself as a slingshot using two trees that were close to cover distance in a short time.

Where was Qrow? If he really was there the night I confronted Raven, he must be close. Maybe she was already facing the man.

I landed on one roof and jumped on another following the sound of the commotion. When I got to the scene, I only found chaos.

They were being beaten by the same person I saw in my vision: Tyrian. However, this one no longer had on his trench coat with which I saw him before, but now he only went with his white sleeveless jacket with several leather straps, which exposed his chest with prominent scars. On his arms there were leather gauntlets with blades attached. What puzzled me was the appendix that came out behind him in the shape of a scorpion's tail.

Tyrian moved erratically, following no pattern of attack. In the face of any aggression, he simply contorted himself in an exaggerated manner and repelled him with greater force using any available limb, if not using the stinger to try to inflict more damage.

I could see how the attacker shot everyone down with ease before going against Ruby. The girl could hardly bear Tyrian's onslaught, before he sent her flying through the air with a strong blow of his tail and ran to the place where she would fall to intercept her.

I moved quickly, watching as Ruby fell out of control, losing her grip on Crescent Rose and heading tp Tyrian preparing a roundhouse kick.

I barely made it in time to catch her as she blocked the kick with my arm.

What I felt was totally out of what I expected. When one achieves greater control of the already unlocked aura, what is protection becomes a reflex; you no longer focus on having it active. But when I felt the kick, it was as if that foot went through the protective layer as if it were nothing, and the pain was greater than expected. Still I endured it as I was pushed back by the force of the impact.

I left Ruby on the ground, who was looking at me puzzled by the mask that covered my face (heck, how I missed seeing those eyes). It was then that her gaze dropped to the snaps on my cape.

"Kaiden ..." she whispered dumbfounded.

"Stay back," I ordered as I unsheathed Samaritan. "I will take care of this."

"Whoa, whoa," Tyrian exclaimed amused. "The rumors are true: the Grimm Reaper roams Anima. My mistress was right, saying I'll find the rose and its knight will come to defend it."

"I don't have time for your games, Tyrian," I threatened the guy with my gun pointed at him. "Leave them alone."

"What are you saying? Do you know me? I'm flattered," Tyrian exclaimed dramatically, just like in my vision. "Also, I don't want there to be any problems. I just want to take you two on a nice trip."

"The same trip you gave that girl in Higanbana?"

"Ah yes. How is she? I was kind to the young lady since she told me everything I wanted to know without problems."

Talking to that guy was so unpleasant that I felt like my stomach was getting nauseous. The way he spoke and acted was as if nothing mattered to him. That face smirked with that manic smile made me feel a tremendous chill that descended all over my body. I couldn't let this guy get close to Ruby, so I stood on my attack stance, with Samaritan shifting to its knife form.

Tyrian laughed with a maniacal laugh that made me shudder. The only time I felt this way was when I entered the room in Beacon to find Yang twerking with a horse mask on; even with therapy one does not forget that.

"Are you really going to fight me with a butter knife? Come on, pull out your famous sword," the maniac mocked me. "Oh right. It's broken. Ragna says it's nothing unless the legendary blacksmith Muramasa fixes it. Spoilers: he's dead."

Good thing I had my mask on, since he couldn't see the huge smile on my face. If he believed Requiem was still broken, then I had the surprise factor. I just had to use that to my advantage.

"Last warning: get out of here, or else ..."

"Or else, what? Oh! Are you going to kill me? How cute." Tyrian crouched down, his tail rising above him threateningly. "I'd like to see you try it."

**[Play "Bad Luck Charm", Casey Lee Williams]**

Tyrian was the first to move. I had to do the same action to keep him from getting too close to Ruby. The blade of my knife failed to attempt a cut as Tyrian ducked at the last second to launch his stinger at full speed. I barely had time to dodge before using my semblance to grab the man for a shot, but my adversary's unpredictable nature turned out to be more wild than expected and he dodged every attempt with superhuman agility.

I managed to deflect several attacks from the blades on his arms, but each was followed by a kick or an attack by his tail that left me little time to prepare for the next strike. I knew the maniac was strong, but not so strong.

I could use the Overdrive, but the preparation time was too much and, if I used it at the least indicated moment, the energy drop would leave me exposed, becoming as just another burden for the guys.

I blocked one of the blades with my gauntlet, but the force of the impact made me to lose the grip on Samaritan as Tyrian launched the next attack with his other weapon.

It was time for a magic trick. I told you about some tricks that I learned to use with the new version of Requiem, right? Well, one of those allows me to move it remotely like a whole Jedi with the Force. My record so far was 5 meters, so getting it to my hand 30 centimeters from its scabbard was easy and just in time to stop the attack. I briefly appreciated Tyrian's surprised expression before rejecting him with a aura charged slash.

"Surprise, surprise," I said turning the sword over the palm of my hand while I used the cable from my other gauntlet to retrieve my knife. "Guess what: I did find Muramasa and he repaired Requiem. So you were poorly informed."

"Ready and recharged for the fight, scorpion-tailed bitch!"

"Well, this will make it more interesting."

This time I was the first to take the initiative. Two blades in hand moving at high speed: that was my style.

There was still a certain power imbalance, but at least I felt that the fight was getting a little more fair. Tyrian used one of his blades, he answered with my knife. He used his other blade, I responded with Requiem. I just had to some way to put the balance in my favor. I could barely get close enough to brush against him, but he had already lowered much of my aura. Of the times he managed to hit me, he not only damaged my aura, but also left me with injuries that should not occur if I had the barrier active. Of those few times I already had cuts on my arms, legs that hurt. Fortunately he hadn't hit me with his stinger. I didn't know what shit he could inject me if I wasn't careful.

Tyrian lunged forward with his blades descending on my head, which I stopped with my sword and knife crossed, but I lost sight of the tail that wrapped around my leg and lashed me hard on the ground before launching me into the air and have a hard landing.

My vision was fragmented with the lenses of my mask breaking. I took it off, feeling my sweaty face grow cold with the cloudy sky that was imposing on us.

"Kaiden!" Ruby ran to me.

I could see it out of the corner of my eye. As Ruby approached with concern in her eyes, Tyrian did the same with madness reflected in his own.

I cursed myself for ending up in that situation. I promised I would do whatever it took to protect Ruby no matter what, but there we were. Even if I left her behind in Patch for her safety, that had only led us to that unfortunate moment.

It was when I saw the scorpion tail rising behind Tyrian that I understood that there was no other option but to use the Overdrive, even if I had not found a way to fully control it.

The sting shot toward Ruby, so my first instinct was to protect her by putting myself between her and Tyrian. I was starting to hold my breath when something happened. A figure stepped in, blocking the scorpion sting with the blade of his sword on his back as he smirked at us. Those red eyes. That sloppy beard. That was one of the few times I was really glad to see him.

Qrow.

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, as did I; although I was a little angry that it had taken him so long to get there.

With a swift sword swing, Qrow repelled the stinger and knocking Tyrian back.

"Huh! As I live and breathe!" the psycho celebrated. "Qrow Branwen. A true Huntsman you have entered the fray!"

Qrow turned to see us, confused by the disturbing attitude of the faunus.

"I don't know. This guy's weird," Ruby commented. I would argue that if it wasn't true.

"Look pal, I'm not sure who you are," the huntsman spoke firmly, "but you need to leave these kids alone."

"Why, friend, my name is Tyrian. And I'm afraid that is not possible," Tyrian explained without leaving his disturbing smile. "My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve them. So, that is what I must do. One does not upset the Queen."

"Queen?" Ruby was confused by the title, but Qrow and I knew who she was talking about.

"Qrow, he works for her," I informed the man.

"Salem," he replied with hatred.

"Who?" Ruby still had no idea what we were talking about.

"Kaiden, take care of them," Qrow ordered me. "I will deal with this."

I hated staying in the rear, but, after witnessing Tyrian's strength firsthand, it was better for an experienced huntsman to come to the forefront in looking for an opportunity to put the fight on our side.

"Hmm, I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?" Tyrian snorted before ducking again, which I recognized as his fighting stance.

"You took the words right out of-" Before Qrow could finish speaking, Tyrian attacked.

The shock of the blades resonated with a metallic sound that was heard all over the place. Tyrian's attacks were quick, but Qrow was not far behind and gave him a strong fight with both moving quickly exchanging blows.

Seeing that, a bitter thought came to me: Tyrian had been playing with me. His movements were more erratic and wilder compared to when he was fighting me. Realizing this only reminded me once again that I was just a boy who had been given permission to take a stool at the adult table.

"Don't look down on yourself like that," Requiem scolded me in my head. "You've been through a lot on your own. You've gone through half a continent yourself with a useless sword. Yes, Tyrian is an opponent who shot you down, but you're alive. What you can do now is learn from it and be ready for when Qrow need help. "

I gripped my sword tight, letting him know I appreciated his words.

I looked behind me. Nora and Ren were absorbed in the confrontation that was taking place in front of us. Jaune was also watching the fight, but his gaze occasionally passed to me with his eyes glaring at me.

Ruby was looking with concern at her uncle who was facing a madman in a dizzying confrontation that the simplest blink could be the difference between life and death. Our eyes met for a second, but I quickly turned away, looking at what was happening in front of us.

The confrontation was even. Neither of them seemed willing to give in to the other in the deadly dance in which they participated. Whenever it seemed that one was beginning to dominate the fight, the other quickly performed a move or attack that rebalanced the fight.

Qrow's sword came down hard on Tyriam, with him blocking it with the edges of its blades. I could see the sparks jump from the friction of the metals as both men struggled for dominance in the fight. It was then that several shots fired from the faunus' gauntlets, forcing Qrow to back up and defend against the projectiles while his adversary surrounded him without stopping firing.

My gaze was fixed on the fight that I didn't notice that two figures passed by me until they were several meters from me. Ren and Nora were pouncing in a surprise attack on Tyrian while he was focused on shooting Qrow. This was useless as he turned to them and split to avoid their attacks with ease. Spinning on his hands, Tyrian counterattacked by delivering several kicks to the pair. He was about to throw a heavy stomp on them when I pulled them back by pulling them using the cable from my gauntlets.

Tyrian ran towards us and I came out to meet him, my sword slamming into his blades in an effort to keep a distance between the lunatic and them.

"Don't come closer!" I ordered them as I struggled to keep him at bay before pushing him away.

"Fine!" I heard Ruby reply before Tyrian lunged at me again, knocking me off balance for a second and leaving me open to attack. Qrow suddenly arrived and pushed the faunus away to continue the fight.

I looked back. Ren and Nora didn't seem to be hurt and Jaune was with them, but Ruby was nowhere to be found. It was not until I heard the sound of her sniper rifle detonating when I saw her going up on top of buildings before aiming for the place of conflict. I didn't know how she would manage to hit Tyrian without hitting Qrow, because they were both moving erratically and weren't allowing to give her a chance to shoot.

The fight continued with both opponents staying the same without giving any indication of who would win.

Tyrian attacked with his tail, which Qrow seemed to dodge until it coiled around his wrist and made him lose his grip on his sword, which was thrown and threaded onto a wall.

Before Tyrian could take advantage of that moment to attack, a shot crossed between them and hit the ground. The faunus stared at the smoking hole where the bullet struck, easily blocking Crescent Rose's other shots like it's child's play.

I took advantage of that brief moment of distraction to join the fray.

I launched several attacks to knock Tyrian back and give him time to retrieve his weapon. I summoned several tendrils of shadow so as not to give him time to rest. Even after my second gasp, my skills didn't seem like much to keep up with an even fight against him.

I was barely able to protect myself from a tail attack that threw me several meters to the side when I realized my mistake. Tyrian was already running towards Qrow, who was still grappling with his sword nailed to the wall.

My mentor barely had time to jump on his gun when Tyran caught up with him. He squeezed something on the handle of his sword and the blade of the sword took the form of a scythe and cannons aimed at the faunus. Tyrian dodged the shot while Qrow was propelled upward by it, disengaging his weapon and standing on the wooden beam of a building where he landed. Tyrian leaped after him, his blades clashing against Qrow's sword again.

It was when Qrow moved to one end of the roof that something curious happened. The psychopath went after him, stepping on a beam that broke from his weight and causing him to fall into the abandoned building. Qrow was about to drop to ground level when Tyrian's tail caught him by the ankle and pulled him into the darkness of the house. I could only hear the sound of the other beams collapsing as I ran over there with Ruby joining me on the way.

The building's facade exploded with a figure running through the wall. Qrow rolled on the ground before launching his sword that landed on the ground and which he used as a fulcrum to recover, landing on his feet on the hilt. I was concerned that I could see his aura protection getting ready, leaving him exposed to being seriously injured.

Ruby moved before me, repelling an attack directed at her uncle.

"Do you wish to be taken?" Tyrian exclaimed, annoyed.

"No! But I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt!" she talked back, wielding her scythe tight before lunging on Tyrian.

I followed with both of them launching an attack that was blocked by the faunus. Qrow did the same, but was also unsuccessful because of the damn tail that has been nagging from the start.

Tyrian repelled us and focused on Ruby, who could barely resist the attacks. The tail descended on her, but I intervened taking the blow instead, blocking it with Requiem, and being thrown against a wall. Qrow took over, once again struggling against the madman with their blades colliding.

"Ruby!" Qrow scolded her niece, "Get back!"

"This is my fight too!" the girl grumbled before turning to Tyrian's back.

"Ruby, you don't get it!" I tried to reason with her while catching my breath. "This is more serious than you think!"

My words fell on deaf ears as she launched into the attack. Tyrian shoved Qrow and pounced on Ruby, giving her a strong stomp that threw her against the house into which he had fallen earlier.

Everything happened in slow motion. The rafters left on the roof began to rock dangerously until they began to fall on Ruby. Even if I moved at that moment, I wouldn't be able to get her out of there. The good news was that Qrow arrived in time to cut the rafters in half and bring her to safety. But the bad news ...

"Qrow, watch out!" I screamed.

Everything fell silent. We all watched in shock as Qrow barely moved in time to avoid being impaled by the scorpion's tail, but instead received a large cut to his right side that started to bleed.

I could see Tyrian's triumphant smile as he was the one who managed to hurt the huntsman and I could see that his eyes fell on Ruby, who looked in shock at her wounded uncle. I had to think of something quick and pinched the damn tail with my semblance, pinning Tyrian from any movement.

"Ruby!" I called the girl back to reality and waiting for her to understand what I wanted her to do.

Ruby looked at the catched tail and knew what to do, pulling on the edge of Crescent Rose and pulling the trigger on the compressed air.

There was a squeal and a scream. Tyrian stumbled forward as the tip of his tail fell to the ground as he spilled a nasty purple liquid.

"You fucker!" He cursed us with rage, a considerable change from his previous carefree attitude.

He took the first step for a desperate attack, but gave up seeing Jaune, Ren, Nora and I get in the way.

"End of the game, Tyrian," I pointed my gun at the faunus. "Now speak: Where's Cinder?"

Tyrian adopted a fearful attitude, slowly backing away.

"She'll forgive you," he said to himself before turning and running away.

"Hey!" I called out to him, shooting repeatedly but with no luck once he jumped on a wall and was out of sight.

I was about to go after him when I heard the sound of metal falling and a roan of pain. Qrow was kneeling on the ground with one hand covering his wound. Cursing myself, I holstered my pistol and headed towards him.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby was already next to him, "are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Qrow gasped heavily. "I've just grazed me."

From the blood I saw on his hand, the wound must have been deeper than it appeared, but there didn't seem to be much bleeding. Still, the injury required first aid.

"Who was that guy ?!" Nora was alarmed.

"How did you two get here?" Ren inquired looking at Qrow and me.

"Why are people after Ruby ?!" Jaune was also alarmed.

They had several questions, of which I had answers.

Ruby then looked me in the eye. It seemed like an eternity as I looked at those silver orbs, which I hadn't seen in a long time, before speaking.

"What's going on?" she asked worried and I didn't blame her. Someone had tried to take her away and I showed up after several months after leaving her behind in Patch.

Qrow panted a little more before looking at her niece and saying a phrase I once heard Ozpin say. A phrase that had introduced me to a new world of magic, maidens and relics. A phrase that had been the starting point of all the events that had brought me to that point in my life. A phrase that preceded the tremendous shock to my world. A phrase that turned my life upside down.

"What's your favorite fairy tail?"


	8. No rest for the wicked

**Hello everyone.**

**How's the quarantine treating you?**

**For me, it's been a mess of planning classes, reparing computers at home and taking care of my city in Cities: Skyline.**

**Well, here's the latest chapter and I hope you enjoy it.**

**Don't forget to comment your thoughts about the story so far and follow if you haven't right now.**

* * *

Chapter 8: No rest for the wicked

-o-

After what happened with Tyrian, we moved away from Oniyuri and secured a place in the forest, where I checked Qrow's wound while the others lit the bonfire. The wound wasn't as deep as I thought once the blood was cleaned and hydrogen peroxide was applied to disinfect it. I was alarmed to see that a purple foam came out when applying the liquid, though, so I repeated the process several times until it no longer came out, no matter how much the man complained.

"Is it be necessary to tell them everything?" I asked in a low voice, securing a piece of gauze over the injury.

"After what happened, they have to know what's going on," he replied, taking a sip of his flask.

"I'm not sure, still," I replied, applying the bandage. "I don't know if they are ready."

"You weren't either when Ozpin told you about Amber, and I had no choice when you asked me to tell you everything in Patch. And here we are."

He was right; no matter how hard it was to admit it. I wasn't expecting Ruby to decide to turn around and return to the island without demanding an explanation of what was going on. That was not how she was, for the better or the worse.

"Uncle Qrow," Ruby looked at us from the log where she was sitting, "Can we talk now?"

Qrow and I knew that it could no longer be postponed. I stuffed the first aid kit into my backpack and took Requiem and Samaritan.

"I'll scout the surroundings to make sure it's safe," I announced before walking away from the campfire. "Back in 30 minutes."

I heard that Ruby was calling me, but I was already among the trees. I prowled far enough to catch a glimpse of the firelight as I lightly heard the voices of others. I walked around, hoping that the reactions of Qrow's narration didn't attract some Grimm.

I think what worried me the most was how they would react knowing that I was aware of all this and since when. Until that time, only a handful of people were aware of Salem and the evidence that magic was real. Now Ruby and the others would be entering the world for which I had to leave her in Patch.

I looked at my watch. More than 30 minutes had already passed and no Grimm had dared to approach, so I returned with the others.

"Alright. So, let's say we believe all this." I heard Jaune exclaim. "There really is this crazy evil being behind these attacks, not just some thugs trying to become powerful. Why doesn't the world know? Why isn't Atlas going after them, or Mistral?"

"Because people are stupid," I replied. "If you tell them that there is a being who controls the Grimms looking for artifacts of unimaginable power that can only be accessed with the help of women with magic, that would only unleash chaos everywhere. Even some people would be desperate enough to join them."

Jaune stood up and I hurried to me, his fists clenched tight and he grabbed me by the collar.

"You already knew all this," he chided at me. "Even about Pyrrha being chosen as the next Fall Maiden."

"Yes."

"Since when?"

"Since before the Vytal Festival-"

Suddenly I felt Jaune's fist on my face. I saw that coming, so I didn't protect myself with my aura. I deserved that. I felt the taste of blood inside my mouth.

"Jaune!" Ren called his friend.

I indicated with my hand that it was okay as he punched me in the face several times more until he stopped.

"Feeling better?"

Jaune didn't speak, releasing me, angrier than before.

"The plan was for her to make her decision once the tournament was over," I said feeling my lips bleeding. "If she accepted, I was going to be in charge of protecting her. If not, at least we would have someone trustworthy in our side."

"Unlike you," Jaune glared at me before returning to his seat.

You could feel the tension in the place with the eyes fixed on me as I leaned against a tree, arms folded, and took a deep breath as my aura began healing my wounds. Only Nora dared to speak.

"And why aren't we in more of a hurry to get to Haven?" she asked, alarmed. "Shouldn't we be getting them a message? What if they're next?"

"The headmaster over there saw what happened to Beacon. He's not dumb. He'll be on his guard," Qrow calmed the redhead. "Besides, it takes time to mobilize forces like that. Do you really think they planned out that attack on Beacon overnight? And to answer your question," he pointed at Jaune, "it's the same reason we keep quiet about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about the relics , about Salem, there would be chaos. Just like Kaiden said. We'd have another Great War on our hands, and this time, you'd have to fight. "

'Or maybe we're already fighting it,' I thought bitterly. Ever since I joined that exclusive circle of defenders, I had also entered a secret war.

"Look, I had the same questions too. But ol 'Ozpin would always put his foot down," Qrow said. "'We can't cause a panic'. Heh, I can't tell you how many times I've heard that. Salem's smart. She works from the shadows, using others to get what she wants, so that when it comes time to place the blame, we can only point at each other. She's trying to divide us - humanity. And so far, she's done a pretty damn good job."

"Alright," Ruby spoke, glancing at Qrow and me. "So what should we do?"

Qrow chuckled.

"Heheh, I don't really know. Ozpin has put a lot of trust in the headmasters. Like I said, the schools are an important part of stopping Salem."

"During my time in Atlas, I could see that everyone is on alert after Beacon. I couldn't even see the Winter Maiden for security reasons."

"And Vacuo ... well, nobody messes with Vacuo unless you want to get out alive."

"And what about you, Kaiden?" Ruby asked me. Hell, hearing her say my name was like listening that favorite song from a long time ago.

"As you know, Cinder and his entourage arrived Beacon pretending to be from Haven, so my best lead has to be on the academy's records. Maybe I can figure out how got in or who helped them."

"So it would be best to meet with Professor Lionheart," Qrow agreed. "Haven't heard from him in a while, even before the attack. I'm hoping he has the answers."

"Winter had been sent to Mistral in a security operation," I recalled. "Maybe she can help us."

"I don't think that can be done," Qrow said. "Didn't you hear? Atlas called all the forces back. The Ice Queen must already be in her palace right now."

Hearing that discouraged me. If I had her help, Winter could have used her authority to make it easier for us to access the academy system and find answers sooner.

"Kaiden, you called Tyrian by name before he said it," Ren spoke, in his usual calm tone. "Did you know him?"

I hoped that they had not noticed that, since it would be difficult to explain about my meeting with Muramasa, but now there was no option.

"Does the name Arumatsuri sound familiar to you?"

"I've heard legends," the pink-eyed boy replied. "A tree between the land of the dead and the living. But it is considered a myth and that nobody knows where exactly it is."

"Well, I found it by accident. The reason is for another time, but the important thing is that I found the tree. When I touched the trunk, I had several visions. I saw Yang, Weiss, Blake, sll of you ... I even saw how Ragna murdered his grandfather, Muramasa. "

"Muramasa is dead?" Ruby exclaimed in alarm. "And how is Requiem repaired?"

"Well, it can be said that the old blacksmith settled in the Arumatsuri after he died, but I'll explain later. What matters is that what I saw last."

"What did you see?" Qrow asked.

"I saw her, Qrow. I saw Salem."

"That Salem?"

I nodded, "She was entrusting Tyrian to capture Ruby and take her with her. She even expected me to appear. Seeing those reds was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Why would Salem want to capture me?" Ruby asked fearfully. "Is it because of what I did in the Beacon Tower?"

"I don't know. I just understand that she wanted you alive. I had to get out of the vision, since she seemed to have noticed my presence."

Everyone remains silent. It seemed like their brains were about to short circuit everything they heard that night and didn't blame them. I had been in the same situation and I felt that I was going to lose my sanity.

"Alright, I think it's time you kids get some sleep," Qrow announced. "There's still a long road before getting Mistral."

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby called her uncle. "This is a lot to take in, and it all sounds crazy, but ... I'm willing to do whatever I can to help because I trust you. But why couldn't you trust me?" she then glanced at me. "Both of you? Why couldn't any of you just travel with us instead of all of this secrecy and... and-"

"Look, this has nothing to do with trust," Qrow interrupted her. "I think I'm speaking for Kaiden and myself when I say that we both fully trust you." I nodded. "It's a long story, okay?"

"Really?" Nora scoffed. "Now are you tired of telling stories?"

I chuckled at Nora's response. I missed that thing about her.

Qrow stared at the flames of the campfire, which danced with a controlled fury that illuminated us. He took a deep breath and let out a long breath before turning back to me.

"I think I didn't tell you this, since I just told you everything about Salem."

His eyes turned to the flames. Even in the lively light that illuminated them, Qrow's gaze turned sad.

"Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck? Old superstition, but it's how I got my name. See, some people can control darkness, and some people can burst into rose petals and some people are just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't like most. It's not exactly something I do. It's always there, whether I like it or not. I bring misfortune. I guess you could call me a bad luck charm. Comes in real handy when I'm fighting an enemy , but it makes it a little hard on friends ... and family. "

It was the first time he had spoken of his semblance. Whenever I asked him about it, the man always changed the subject and my question remained unanswered. Bad luck. In light of this information, several unknowns were solved one after another: how the pipeline in the cabin in Aztlan had broken down a week when he was there; the time we got lost in a neighboring forest; even the reason why he lost at blackjack even though I was lousy at it.

But I also remembered the showdown against Tyrian, especially when they landed on that roof. The beam that Qrow fell on remained steady, but the fauns' beam collapsed at the first touch. It really was a double-edged sword.

"Well, are you just a real bundle of help, aren't you?" Jaune snapped at him.

"Jaune ..." I chided him. In return I got a glare.

"He's not wrong," Qrow accepted the boy's words as he headed for the trees.

"Where are you going?" Ren asked.

"Taking a walk."

"There's nothing else you want to tell us?" Ruby said to her uncle.

I don't know why he did it, but Qrow stared at a crow crowing on a tree branch.

"Not tonight," was the last thing he said before walking away.

Once more silence reigned in the place, with the crackling of the wood in the fire as the only thing that barely interrupt it.

"Go to sleep," I told them as I sat on the floor near the log where Qrow was. "I will make the first watch."

"Before that, I'd like to speak to you," Ruby asked fearfully.

That was what I had feared all that time: what would happen when we met again. I expected her to yell at me or scold me for the fact that I had already abandoned her, but I knew she wouldn't do it since she wasn't like that ... and that made me feel worse.

"There will be time for it. Go to sleep. There is still a long way to Mistral."

Ruby watched me silently.

"Will you be here in the morning?"

The fact that she asked that hurt me, but I also understood the reason for that question.

"Yes Kaiden," Jaune asked disdainfully as she pulled out his sleeping bag, "Will you still be here?"

"Go to sleep," I repeated, not knowing how to respond to that.

Without further protest, the boys unrolled their bags and lay down. I saw out of the corner of my eye that Ruby shot me fleeting glances before finally falling asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Qrow returned after a while. He smelled more of alcohol and hobbled as he put a hand to his wound.

In the time he wasn't around, I checked on my map the most viable route to reach Mistral. The first one I thought was quick, but it involved walking a trail up a mountain. If Qrow's wound prevented him from moving freely, it would be more advisable to take an alternate route, longer than the other that passed through a town. It would be a good option to resupply and rest.

"All good?" Qrow asked, sitting down on a log.

"As far as it can go," I folded the map and put it in my backpack. "How you feel?"

"I'll be fine," as if he needed evidence of this, he sipped his flask. "I've had worse."

"Still, you have to check that Tyrian didn't inject some strange shit into your body. According to the map, there has to be a settlement later on. Perhaps a doctor can assist you."

"Don't worry. This liver has been able to process large amounts of alcohol these years, so it should already be flushing out what is left of the poison in my system."

"We must be safe, still. With your semblance-"

"That's why I didn't tell you about it. I knew you were going to worry."

"Sorry if I'm concerned about that. It's just that I've already lost enough people in this life. Alice, Pyrrha, Ozpin ..."

"I'll be fine," Qrow patted me on the back. "I always get ahead despite everything."

"I hope so," I said rubbing my eyes. Fatigue was already taking my toll.

"Go to sleep. I will continue the watch."

"I still can," I replied suppressing a yawn. "I've spent sleepless nights chewing coffee beans. A trick that Winter taught me."

"Speaking of cold stuff, how's everything at Atlas?"

"The kingdom is on high alert, as I said. At least I was able to have my eye fixed before I left."

"And the General?" then a mocking smile appeared on his face, "Or should I say 'Irondaddy'?"

"No. Just ... no. And he's fine as far as I know. Keeping everything in one piece with everything that happened at Beacon."

"Good for James," one more sip. "Now, Ironkiddo, go to sleep. You already did your part."

This time I couldn't hold back the yawn and my eyes were watery, "Fine, but rest too. It's not fun dragging a dying old man."

I took the blanket I usually slept on out of my backpack. I took off my gauntlets and my jacket, feeling the cold of the night, and used the latter as a pillow while using my cape to cover myself.

"Qrow," I called him one last time, "I found Raven."

From what he saw of his face, he didn't seem surprised.

"I was in Xion when her bandits attacked. I confronted her but she beat me up just as the Grimms showed up. The last thing I knew was that she spared my life for Alice before kicking me in the face. After that, I seemed to hear your voice."

"I imagined it. One night a portal opened and from there you left, unconscious. I recognized that it was a product of Raven's semblance, since she can open passages that connect people close to her, such as Taiyang, Yang and me. After making sure that you were fine, I took care of you until the morning. Sorry for not staying any longer, but there were some guys that I had to keep an eye on. "

"And where were you when Tyrian attacked? Shouldn't you have acted earlier if you were taking care of them?"

I realized my poor choice of words when I saw guilt on his face.

"I fell asleep," he said bitterly. "I have no excuse for it. I had a brief family reunion with my sister the night before and I wanted to forget it the only way I could think of. It was when I heard about the waitress's tumult that I knew what had happened and the boy who had run off to an abandoned town. If it wasn't for you, Ruby wouldn't be with us tonight."

"I only made some time until you arrived. I thought I could beat Tyrian on my own, but I underestimated him, as it was in the Beacon tower and I almost lost someone once more."

"Don't be hard on yourself. You did what you could and in the end we are all here. The important thing is to be ready for what comes."

"Yes, you may be right," I said as I settled into my makeshift bed.

'Let me know if something happens,' I conveyed one last thought to Requiem, as was customary every time I camped.

I don't remember dreaming that night. Perhaps the fatigue was so much that he didn't even have the strength to do it.

The first thing I heard was the chirping of the birds in the morning and my sword urging me to wake up.

"Five minutes more," I mumbled still asleep.

"It's Qrow."

I opened my eyes and saw that the man was coughing non stop, with a purple stain spreading under his shirt; right where his wound was.

"Qrow, are you alright?" I called him, but got no response. He couldn't speak with the intense cough he had.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby approached.

It was then that he stopped coughing, removing his hand from his mouth and leaving a purple stain covering it. I could hear Ruby gasping.

"Well, this is unfortunate," was what he said before passing out.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

We had to act fast. We used Ruby's sleeping bag and some long sticks to improvise a stretcher, using my cables to tie Qrow up and keep him from falling.

The problem that followed was where to go. Higanbana was too far to walk and we were more than halfway to Mistral, so we had no choice but to go on, hoping to find help along the way; either reaching a town that was not marked on the maps or another miracle.

Jaune and I loaded the stretcher, with Ruby leading my map while Ren and Nora guarding our flank and rear, respectively.

We were running against time. Qrow seemed to get worse with each passing second, beginning to cough more and more, writhing and raving. Ruby was looking at us, concerned about her uncle's condition.

"We must get to an intersection now," Ruby warned us.

And it was true. We arrived at a crossroads of three roads: one where we arrived and two that extended to the sides. A pole in the middle pointed to the closest destinations, Higanbana was pointed behind us. On the right were Kuchinashi and Mistral. On the left was a name that had been crossed out on the wood with something sharp: Kuroyuri.

"Hey, hey, Mistral!" Nora pointed excitedly running towards the sign, followed by Ren. "We're in the right path."

"But that path crosses the mountain," I informed them, recalling what I had seen on the map.

"What?" Ruby exclaimed, distressed.

I slowly bent down to put Qrow on the ground and approached Ruby. For a moment I felt her sweet fragrance that made my head spin for a second, but I forced myself to pay attention to what was happening.

"Here," I pointed to our location on the map and moved my finger to where the mountain sign was. "If we walked the path, we would reach Mistral sooner."

"But I don't know if all of us can make that climb," Jaune informed us, nodding at the convalescent Qrow.

He was right. Carrying Qrow in that state was a bad idea. We didn't know if the trek was safe or if the summit was too high for the air to be too thin.

Ruby put the map away and approached the sign, pointing to the crossed out name.

"Okay. Well, what about this place? Kuro ... Kuroyuri," she read. "Can we get help there?"

"That village was destroyed years ago," Ren replied bitterly.

"What? And why would the town still be marked on the map if that were true?" I exclaimed taking the map. "Hijo de la chingada."

Looking at the map print date, I barely realized it was 10 years ago. The bastard who sold it to me had scammed me. Supposedly, it was recent.

"But if it takes us around the mountains, it's the best bet we've got," Jaune proposed.

"It will take too long," Ren refuted the idea.

"The town would have had a doctor, right?" Ruby suggested.

"It's true. Several doctors in the villages I went through were harvesting their own medicinal plants. Perhaps we can find some," I agreed with her.

"We're not going to find anything!" Ren rejected the idea again. His attitude was strange to me, because he seemed anxious. "We just have to press on!"

"Ren, why are you acting-" Jaune was already questioning his teammate when Nora intervened.

"We can split up. Ren and I can cut through the mountains while you guys take Qrow around through the village."

"No, we're supposed to stick together," Jaune objected. "We keep each other safe!"

"We don't have time for safe!" Nora also seemed eager to avoid going the other route. "If we make it to Mistral, we'll bring back help! If we don't, we'll at least have a better view of the land! Up there, we can see if there's somewhere else we can go!"

As if affirming the fact that we had no time to waste, Qrow coughed again. We had to decide at that time.

"Nora is right. If it's just her and Ren, they can more easily move up the mountain as we lead Qrow the other way," I explained. "I have flare ammunition that I can use to signal that we are in trouble. We will see each other later if everything goes well."

"Okay," Jaune agreed, not entirely agreeing with the idea. He stepped forward and hugged Ren and looked at Nora, "Just take care of each other."

"We always have," she replied confidently.

I just prayed that it wasn't the last time we saw each other. I couldn't bear the idea that something happened to them and was not there to avoid it. I had already failed to protect Pyrrha. I wouldn't lose another friend.

And that's how we parted ways. Nora and Ren went down the mountain route while Jaune and I continued to carry Qrow with Ruby leading the way.

"They're gonna be fine, Jaune," I said to the blonde, trying to cheer him up.

"You don't know that," he replied curtly.

Honestly, it was true. We were no longer in the safety net we had at Beacon. We no longer had Ozpin or Glynda to save us. The world had become more dangerous ... or perhaps it already was and we had only seen only a poor illusion.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kuroyuri.

That name was engraved on a stone when we reached the town.

It really was a ghost town. Unlike Oniyuri, where the buildings were abandoned and unfinished, they were all ruined there. The windows were broken. The collapsed roofs. Some buildings only had the foundations with the rest of the structure on the floors. The fact that it was cloudy wasn't helpful in raising spirits.

Our footsteps were heard in the empty streets, accompanied by the wind that crossed among the buildings with a lament that seemed to cry for those who used to live there.

"Any of these places look like a pharmacy?" Ruby wondered, looking at the empty buildings.

"It's ... honestly hard to tell," I replied.

Even if some place had a sign where there used to be a doctor or medicine man, now the wood should be rotten and impossible to recognize.

"Ren really didn't want to come here, did he?" Ruby thought. "Do you know ... why?"

Jaune sighed, "I think I have a pretty good idea ..."

For a moment I didn't understand what Jaune was trying to say, until something came to mind. That place must have a terrible history so that Ren, the calmest boy I have ever known, was reluctant to pass by.

He and Nora didn't talk much about their past. As far as I knew, they grew up together as orphans, but it never occurred to me to ask them where they were from because I wasn't sure it were to open old wounds. They knew where I was from and my past, but I didn't know theirs. That made the idea of separating make me feel worse. At least I felt that I knew something new about them: they were both from there, Kuroyuri.

We reached the central point of the town, where there was a plaza with a dead tree in the middle. We put the stretcher on the floor and removed the makeshift straps to give Qrow a break.

He was breathing heavily and the purple spot had grown more. Upon reviewing the wound, I was shocked to see that the infection had spread in the form of purple veins that spread over part of his right side. I applied more hydrogen peroxide to make it drain as much of the poison as possible, but it ran out without showing any sign that it was of any help. Even Qrow didn't react much when I changed the bandages.

After that, the plan was simple: we'd split up to check the place out and meet in 15 minutes to see if anyone had found something useful.

That last one turned out to be difficult to do in a town that had been destroyed years ago. There was nothing left no matter how much one looked for. All buildings were the same with mountains of dust, debris, and cobwebs everywhere.

I found a place that must have been a supply store. The problem was that there was nothing that seemed to be medicine. The jars were broken and their contents were already dust. Food cans expired. Even a piece of rope fell apart in my hands. It was useless.

15 minutes of failure after failure after failure and I felt that time was against us.

It was time to meet, so I headed back to the plaza to give my report of no results.

I was close when I heard Ruby speak:

"This is all my fault. I should have never dragged you guys into this."

"You didn't drag us in. We wanted to come," I heard Jaune say, trying to comfort her.

I hid behind a building and listened carefully. It was my chance to know what her thoughts were.

"But, you didn't know about Tyrian, about-"

"Ruby. We lost ...," Jaune sighed. "We lost Pyrrha. You lost her, too. And Penny, and your team, and in a way ... your sister. You even lost Kaiden the day he left. But you're still here, despite everything you've lost, and everything you could still lose, you CHOSE to come out here. Because you felt like you could make a difference. You didn't drag us along. You gave us the courage to follow you. "

"I just wanted to find Kaiden. Know why he left. Being at Patch, his gaze made me uneasy, as if he was saving something for himself. Even now knowing the same as him, I don't know how to speak to him, like if the wall between us only grow bigger."

"You don't have to worry about him. Focus on yourself and saving your uncle. You have guided us through the whole world and we have dealt with every obstacle that was placed before us. You do not need Kaiden. You are strong yourself and that is what we most admire about you. "

"Thanks, Jaune."

Hearing the distress in Ruby's voice when she spoke of me made me feel stabbed, worse than the one Ragna had given me that night in Beacon. For me, she had left her father and Yang, only to find out the reason for my sudden departure; just what I didn't want. Now I had gotten her into this Maiden, relics and magic mayhem when I just wanted her to be safe. But there we were, in the middle of nowhere after being attacked by a Salem minion and with Qrow's life slipping out of our hands as the venom spread throughout his body.

The time is up. I took a deep breath to calm down and meet them. They both turned to me. Jaune glared at me again and Ruby just looked at me sadly.

"Did you find something?" she asked me.

I shook my head, "I found a supply store but nothing useful."

"Now what?" Jaune asked.

"I think the best thing would be to go ahead and meet Ren and Nora," Ruby proposed.

Before anyone could respond, a sound rang out in the distance. A roar. But it was not one I had heard before, like that of a beowolf or a ursa. This was different.

The next thing I heard were footsteps approaching. My first instinct was to bring my hand to Requiem, waiting for Tyrian to attack us again, but great was my relief to see that it was only Nora and Ren who arrived.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby was as surprised, as I was, to see the duo there.

"Did you hear that noise?" Jaune asked alarmed. "What was that?"

Ren seemed relieved to find us, but that slowly disappeared and he fell to his knees.

"No ..." he whispered, scared for some reason.

"Ren! What's going on ?!" Ruby asked, concerned about the boy's behavior.

"Wait," Jaune said. "Do you hear that?"

I closed my eyes and concentrated on searching for the sound Jaune mentioned. It was true. They were like walking horse hooves. They were slowly approaching behind us. I felt a chill run down my body and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up when I heard a huff. Whatever it was, it seemed to be huge.

Contrary to what reason dictated, ordering me not to look, I turned my head and froze in terror as Ren whispered a name:

"Nuckelavee."


	9. One last push

**Hello everyone.**

**I really hope you're ok, specially you guys from USA.**

**The stuff happening right now is so fucked up, Beacon falling level.**

**Be safe at home. But if you really feeling that you need to go out and protest in a respectful way (rioting and looting are for cunts), be careful. **

**If anyone need to let something know to the world, you're free to comment and let your words be spreaded.**

* * *

Chapter 9: One last push

-o-

I always wondered where each Grimm came from and why they were getting weirder and scarier. Then I found out about Salem and started wondering how twisted her mind must be for each create each monster: Soul Reaper, Beringel, and now the Nuckelavee.

Honestly, I didn't know exactly what I was seeing. It was as if a jockey had melted and merged with his horse. Where the human legs should be, only white ribs could be seen that must have belonged to the animal. The entire Grimm was black, with the characteristic bone mask on the head of the humanoid part with horns that curved backward, in what must have been its chest, and in its claws that it had hanging limp in the sides. As for the equine part, the bone segment was present in what should have been the animal's snout, ribs and hooves. Several pikes and arrows were nailed to the rider's back as if they were records of previous battles. Both the humanoid head and the horse stared at us with bright red eyes.

"What is that thing?" Jaune asked dumbfounded.

"Nuckelavee," Nora repeated the name Ren said. "It destroyed the town when we were children."

"Why doesn't he attack us?" Ruby asked, readying Crescent Rose in rifle form.

"Maybe he's waiting for us to make the first move," I guessed as I unsheathed Requiem.

We had to do something soon. The most important thing was to get Qrow out of there and take him to the nearest town for treatment. The problem was the Grimm that was in front of us, because, seeing the long horse's legs, it could easily catch up with us. Someone would have to distract him.

"I'm going to attract its attention," I warned without taking my eyes off the beast. "Get Qrow out of here while I give you time to gain distance."

"We are not going to leave you behind," Ruby objected.

"There is no choice, Ruby. Your uncle needs medical attention and we cannot expose him to further injury."

"But-"

"No buts. I will move slowly as you move behind and go away."

Before Ruby could object further, I took a bottle of oil from my pocket and emptied it onto my blade, then lit it with fire dust, Beric Dondarrion-style.

The Grimm's eyes focused on the flame as I swung the weapon in one smooth movement and cautiously moved to the right, taking distance from the others. Silently, the boys moved stealthily and Jaune carried Qrow with his arm around his neck. I had already moved enough to have the others behind the Nuckelavee when everything went to hell. Why you ask? Because Qrow coughed loudly.

The Grimm turned its head to the source of the noise and howled so loudly that it felt as if fingernails were scratching a slate inside my head. I took my gun and shot several times until I hit it in the head. That thing looked at me with its red eyes, released another howl that tempted me to burst my eardrums and extended one of its arms towards me to hit me, throwing me against a building.

In case you were curious, crashing into a rock wall and getting covered in dust and rubble is not nice. By the time I recovered, it was all chaos.

The Nuckelavee had its eyes fixed on Jaune and Qrow, towards which it launched its claw as if it were rubber. They could barely evade it as the Grimm was already galloping towards them. The two of them suddenly lost their colors literally, turning into shades of gray, and the beast stopped in its tracks and began to see the surroundings as they would have suddenly disappeared. That was the product of Ren's semblance, who could mask negative emotions and become invisible to the Grimm's eyes.

Several shells shot out of Nora's grenade launcher and exploded at the Grimm, causing it to lash out at its attacker while Jaune led Qrow to safety and I joined the fray.

It was hard to find a weak spot for the Grimm, with its arms reaching out to Luffy D. Monkey and holding you if you weren't fast enough. The only thing we could do was distract him with shots while the rest ventured out to try and deal direct damage.

"Guys!" Jaune called us from afar. "Keep moving. Going in circles."

I thought it was a good idea since that would make it harder for us to hit when we were on the move, so we did as we said while continuing to shoot and evade more claws. At first it worked by giving no chance to counterattack while we kept shooting and taking every opportunity to attack the legs.

Jaune was hit by one of the hooves, giving him a strong back kick that knocked him down, but he stood up and sheathed his sword, which seemed strange to me before taking it again with the scabbard on and some edges grew to the sides to expand the blade. It had to be a new upgrade he applied on his sword.

His attacks seemed to be more effective as the Grimm fell back to gain distance. Releasing another loud howl, it began to spin on itself in an Area of Effect attack. We tried to get out of range but had no luck being shot down and thrown several meters.

I struggled to stand up again, but another howl paralyzed me, feeling this one more strident that I felt my head was going to explode. I had barely recovered when I saw Nora being launched to defend Ren, who was trapped several meters from the ground between the Grimm's claw and a wall. She could barely deflect the limb before it grabbed her and slammed her to the ground, wiping out her aura protection.

Ren freed himself from his restraints and lunged at the Nuckelavee, but the Nuckelavee quickly shot him down. Without taking time to catch his breath, he attacked again, not caring about having a plan that wasn't just about hitting nonstop.

Seeing him like that shook me. That was not the Ren that I had known since those distant days in Beacon. He was not the same one you usually saw meditating under a tree while Nora hung from its branches. He was not the same one who kept listening in silence to your problems and advised you with wise words. No, that was a totally different Ren. One full of savagery and one who only attacked desperately without having respect for his own life.

"Ren, knock it off!" I heard Jaune in the distance, ordering his friend to wake up from his trance, but he didn't listen.

I had to use the cable from my gauntlets to pull him back in time before being reached by the Nuckelavee's extendable arms. Even when I already had him with me, I didn't release him.

"Let go!" he roared as I grabbed him by the arms.

"Not until you calm down! You're going to kill yourself like that!"

"As if you had been different with the Soul Reaper!"

Hearing those words stunned me, as it was true. I did the same thing he was doing almost a year ago. I still remember that bloodlust against the Grimm that had plagued me for years.

I tightened my grip; a feeling I wouldn't let my friend drown into.

"That's why I won't let you go!" I rebuked him, struggling. "I won't let you kill yourself."

"I said to let me go!"

Ren's head tilted forward for a second, before hitting me square in the face. It only took a second of daze for Ren to break free and hit me with an aura strike right in the chest. By the time I cleared my head, I was horrified to see Ren being caught by one of the arms and being tossed in midair.

I loaded Samaritan with a flare shell and fired it, failing to hit the Grimm in the face as it missed for few centimeters, but the bright was enough to blind it briefly and drop Ren, who rolled across the ground until he was close to Nora and her protection from aura dissipated. Ren hardly got up, but I could see in his gaze that he was not willing to give in and that was what worried me.

Before he launched into the attack again, Nora shoved him under the foundations of a building as the Nuckelavee galloped right at them. Before the Grimm could ram them, Jaune stood between them and stopped him before he was pushed back. The monster stood up on its hind legs in an attempt to stomp on it, but I stopped it by wrapping it in dark tendrils. Doing this took some of my energy for the Grimm's large size, but I stopped it the following until Jaune stood up and the Nuckelavee broke free of my restraints.

Several shots from Rubi hit the beast, making him focus on her. I followed her in as Jaune attacked directly. We went through the same process several times, but it didn't seem to have much effect with the Grimm still standing and us getting exhausted every second.

I managed to catch a glimpse of Nora talking to Ren under the building where they were taking refuge. It didn't bother me if he was in the middle of a character development or if Nora confessed her feelings to him, but, for the love of the gods, hurry up.

"Fall back!" Jaune ordered, backing up to where Ren and Nora were exiting under the building.

We joined them, still keeping an eye on the Grimm, who was staring at us without making a move; perhaps waiting for the slightest provocation to attack us.

"Ren," Ruby called him.

I looked at the boy. His face was the same again: serene and focused on what we had in front of us. That was a relief to me. I wouldn't let him make the same mistakes as me. I would fight alongside him until the end and after that.

"Jaune and I can take care of the arms," Ruby indicated.

"I'll take care of the horse," Nora said decisively.

"I will subdue it with my semblance," I indicated.

"And I'll take care of the rest," Ren agreed.

We take our positions.

Ruby caught the Grimm's attention to provoke him to attack with one of its arms and immobilize it by stabbing it with her scythe. Jaune and Ren took care of the other, using the former's sword to fix it to the ground.

We take our positions.

Ruby caught the Grimm's attention to provoke him to attack with one of his arms and immobilize him by stabbing him with his scythe.

Jaune and Ren took care of the other, using the former's sword to fix it to the ground.

Nora attacked from above, hitting the horse hard with her hammer and knocking him to the ground.

It was my turn. I closed the eyes. I stopped breathing. I gathered the little scraps of energy I had left and lit them, feeling the flame of my aura envelop me and fill me with energy for one last attempt. I raised my hands and two dark masses emerged from the ground imitating them, before descending on the Grimm and holding it tight. I could feel it struggling, trying release itself from me, but this time I wasn't going to give in and I applied more force on the grip.

I could hold that state for little longer than if I was on the move, but I still had to stay focused to keep the Nuckelavee from breaking free and we missed that chance to end it. I could hear my heart pounding, struggling to process the oxygen in my body while holding my breath. Each beat was a second that was subtracted from me, but I could not fail. Not at that time. Never.

I could see Ren approaching the Grimm step by step, who gave its another of his famous howls, but he didn't flinch. With a quick slash, he got rid of the left arm and the Nuckelavee writhed under my semblance. Then the other followed, contorting more and making me apply more pressure. Then a cut on the chest, perhaps for something symbolic since it only caused the beast to twist and scream more. Then I suddenly felt that the Grimm stopped moving as Ren cut off its head and her body went limp, slowly starting to fade away.

That was all. It was over.

I fell to my knees struggling to breathe with the sweat covering my face. I was really exhausted. My arms trembled as they fought to keep me from hitting my face against the ground. With difficulty I was able to put a hand in my pocket and eat a coffee bean to give me a little boost of energy; what is necessary not to pass out at that moment.

A silence enveloped us until a sound was heard in the distance. A siren. In the distance, between the cloudy sky that covered us, I could identify a ship flying nearby. I took the last flare I had left and disapproved it on us. The orange light illuminated us as it left a trail that indicated our location.

The siren began to be heard closer and closer until our ships flew over us until they landed on the square where we were. I heard Nora and Ren telling someone about Qrow.

"You're good?" Jaune spoke next to me.

"Yes," I gasped. "I used too much energy."

"Here," a hand appeared in front of me, which I accepted and helped me to walk toward the ship Qrow was being carried to on a stretcher, with Ruby at her side.

Once we all boarded, we took off and we were moving away from that abandoned settlement, where Ren was able to close with his past and being able to move forward.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The soft sound of the ship's engine was comforting, as if telling us we were safe, and feeling the wind on my face felt so refreshing after the fight we had.

From what I could hear from our saviors, they were only patrolling when they started hearing bursts. It was then that they saw my flares that they assumed something was going on. I had only shot them to distract the Nuckelavee, but I was glad it was useful.

My tiredness was overshadowed when we saw the view in front of us: Mistral. The images that one saw on the net did not do justice to the real thing. Buildings could be seen from the foot and up of two nearby mountains with a structure connecting the two peaks, which I assumed was the Haven Academy.

At last I was in Mistral. After so many months of traveling. After every Grimm attack I had to overcome. After confronting Raven and her bandits. After he prevented Tyrian from taking Ruby. That part of my journey was finally over.

We landed on a platform and Qrow was quickly unloaded to be taken to a clinic where the poison was treated, while we had a medical check-up to see that we were in good condition after our confrontation. Fortunately, we were all fine since our aura had already healed our wounds, so we were only showing fatigue and a doctor told us that Qrow was out of danger, although he would have to stay a few days to recover. With that last relief, we were released and we looked for an inn near the clinic while Ruby stayed with her uncle for a while.

I rented a room for myself, while Jaune and her group were staying in a larger one. I didn't even have the energy to eat something and fell asleep as soon as I lay down on the soft bed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Using the Overdrive must have taken much of my energy since I woke up almost midday. My body was not sore as I thought it would be, since I had only used it to amplify my semblance, so those times I felt pain was because of my muscles that had been overstretched.

I had barely opened my eyes when my stomach growled like ursa, forcing me to lift my butt off the bed and look for food; not without first taking a shower since I reeked of sweat.

A visit to the inn's bar and several plates of food afterward, I was brought back to life on a full stomach.

Once my basic needs were met, I knew it was time to do something that I had been putting off for a few days, but I didn't feel the courage to do it. That was laughable considering that I have faced various threats in the past few months that few freshmen would have endured.

I stared at the view from the balcony at the inn, facing the street and beyond the side of the mountain on which we were. He could see other mountains in the distance, small compared to Mistral's. Beyond it would be Lotam, with my grandmother preparing lunch. There would be Shion and Taro, perhaps still in ashes. There would be Raven with her bandit tribe. It would be the coast that I arrived at. There would be Atlas, with my father and Weiss waiting for news from me, like Mary Azabache. I had come so far leaving so much behind. And now everything was on hold for the moment.

"What should I do?" I whispered to the breeze blowing.

"Does something bother you?" A voice spoke from behind, startling me to the point that I almost fell off the veranda. Nora and Ren were there on the balcony.

"Sorry, we didn't want to disturb you," Ren apologized on behalf of the redhead.

"It's okay."

It was then that I noticed something curious. Nora had her arms around Ren's and the boy was slightly flushed, but a faint smile betrayed that he was happy about it.

"So ... you guys are together-together?"

The boys' faces turned redder and Nora hugged Ren's arm tighter.

"Yes, you can say yes," Nora replied shyly, but with a wide smile.

Seeing them like this made me remember the good times when I was with Ruby. The hugs. The soft kisses. That look that inspired me with confidence that everything was fine. That made me feel nostalgic, but there was also a void inside me that grew when I saw them.

"Well, congratulations," I did my best to hide those feelings.

"And what about you?" Ren spoke. "Did you talk to Ruby already?"

"No," I sighed, "but I don't think it will do any good. What I did is already done. I abandoned her when she needed me the most. There is no forgiveness for that."

"Kaiden, we already know what you had to go through. I'm sure Ruby will forgive you if you talk to her."

"That's the problem, Nora: Ruby would forgive me because she is like that. Even if she did, I don't think I can do it to myself. I've carried that guilt for months."

"Maybe you just need to listen to her to give you a push. Just have a little faith." Then she hugged me tightly.

"But…"

"We know she missed you. Nora heard her call you in dreams every night. Just don't be too harsh on yourself and give it a try," Ren encouraged me with a kind smile.

I had a hard time accepting it, but they were right. I had to try it. At least listen to how she felt, even if it was as painful for her as it was for me.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The indicated door was in front of me. I took a deep breath and knocked. Footsteps were heard approaching before it opened and I found the other person I had to talk to. Ruby was at the clinic keeping her uncle company, so it was Jaune who received me.

"Yes?" he spoke with disdain.

"May I come in?"

"Ruby is with Qrow. You have nothing to do here," Jaune was already closing the door in my face when I put my foot down.

"I know. It's with you that I want to talk." Jaune didn't seem convinced to let me into the room. "Please."

We stared at each other a few seconds before he opened the door and let me in.

The room was not different from mine, being this bigger and with a double bed more for two other people. On one side were the boys' backpacks with their weapons.

There were two that caught my attention: a shield and a sword. He had seen them both countless times when training with Jaune. However, looking closely, I could see that the sword hilt was more detailed than before, and the shield was now accented with gold and with a design on the point that I recognized instantly.

"Pyrrha ..." I said under my breath.

"We recovered her weapons and part of their armor after that night and tied them to mine. At least that way we can fight together."

"Pyrrha ..." I said under my breath.

"We recovered their weapons and part of their armor after that night and tied them to mine. At least that way we can fight together once again."

Memories of that night haunted me again. I could still see that date digging into Pyrrha's chest without me doing anything about it. He could remember how she was dissipating in the air as if she were a recently killed Grimm. All this brought back that feeling of guilt.

"Jaune, I'm really sorry."

"Why? For being you who returned from the towers? For leaving Ruby? For hiding the truth from us for months?"

As harsh as those accusations were, I couldn't deny that they were all true and I deserved that feeling of being stabbed.

"Yes," I replied without objection, "for all that."

"Is this how it's going to be? Are you just going to admit it?"

"No, because you are right. Pyrrha died because of me and so I left Ruby in Patch before I left for Atlas, so that she would be safe from a secret that I had to carry."

"Just so?"

"What else do you want?"

"That you stop acting so stoic and deny it."

"I won't. I got tired of saving everything for myself. Doing so brought us to this. I could have stayed with her, but I had to do it, but doing it would mean having to tell her everything, who was still dealing with the death of Pyrrha and with Yang. At least if she stayed in Patch, she would be with her family. "

"You were her family too. She trusted you. She trusted you more than anyone. And you just abandoned her like that."

"I know," my voice cracked as I sat down on one of the beds and covered my face with my hands. I felt a lump form in my throat. "I just thought she would be better off without me. I couldn't drag her with me to Atlas. I knew she would go with me without thinking twice, but it would only be for me. Not because she really wanted it. I couldn't force her to leave her home."

Silence reigned in the room as I took a deep breath to control myself. It was then that I heard the springs in the other bed creak.

"Tell me, how did she fight that night?"

"As always, with fierceness and precision by which everyone knew her." I put my fingers to my scar over my right eye, "If I hadn't been overconfident, I wouldn't have distracted her when that arrow hit her ankle. You're right, it should have been me and not her. You got all the right to hate."

"I don't hate you, Kaiden. Well, not so much now. When we got to Patch and Ruby told us everything that happened, I really hated you for doing that to her. After losing Pyrrha I knew how important it is to have that person by your side and the pain when he is gone. I carried those feelings until when we met in Oniyuri and Qrow told us everything. Since then I did not know what to feel. Maybe a little hate for you, but also for myself for this feeling of helplessness. But I think, deep down, I was glad you were fine."

"Me too. I'm glad you guys are fine too and I also thank you for taking care of Ruby."

"We didn't do it for you. Ruby is our precious friend and we would do anything for her."

"Yes, I understand that feeling."

"And, well, have you talked to her yet?"

And again the damn question. It's like that homework that has you stressed out so you take a break, but it all reminds you of that.

"Not yet. And I don't know if you can do it."

"Whether you can or not, you have to. It's the least you can do for her."

"I know. I just have to find a good time," I said getting up from the bed.

"The longer you put it off, the harder it will be."

"I know, I know," I scoffed, heading for the door. "And, Jaune, I'm really glad to see you."

"Likewise, Kaiden, I'm also sorry I hit you."

"Were those hits? They felt like a girl."

Jaune laughed, "Idiot."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well, my conversation Jaune went better than expected. However, now I was missing someone who panicked me to speak: Ruby. I didn't know when it would be a good time to talk or if one day I would. Even if I did, what could I say? "Hey, Ruby, sorry for leaving. Shall we kiss?" Even I would kick my balls if I said that.

When I was thinking of something, I retired to my room.

There wasn't much, except for the bed, bathroom, and a desk where my backpack and weapons rested.

I looked out the window for a while, watching the movement on the street. Merchants advertised their products. Passers-by approached stalls and shops to browse. Children who ran and played happily. Life went on as usual, not knowing about Salem, relics, and magic. Blessed are they.

I wanted to take my mind off the secret war I was involved in, so I took a sheet from my backpack and a pen. I made two letters: one for my adoptive mother, Mary, and one for my father, Jame. While I gave the General a more or less complete report of what had happened recently, the letter to Aztlan would have a certain censorship of the dangerous parts so as not to alarm her. Hell, I missed them so much.

I was already sealing the envelope when there was a knock on the door. I regretted opening it when I met silver eyes.

"Ruby."

"Hey, are you busy?" she said shyly.

I could have said yes. That I was cleaning my weapons. That I was meditating. That I was polishing my handle. But instead I said ...

"No."

"I can pass?"

I could have made excuses like the previous ones, but ...

"Sure."

The girl entered and began to browse the room before turning to me. He could see that she was tense and said nothing, possibly thinking of what to say first. I was the same, since I couldn't think of anything. What was I supposed to do now?

"Kaiden ..." I froze the moment she called me. The circus started. "How have you been?"

I don't know what surprised me more: the question or her calm tone of the girl.

"Excuse me," I replied dumbfounded, "What?"

"I asked how you been."

"I heard you, but are you seriously asking that?"

"Should not?"

"Sure you can. What's more, you're free to ask what you want: How dare I leave you? If I had any idea how I made you feel? You even have the right to scold and yell at me."

"Do you want me to yell at you?"

"If that's what you want."

"And that's what I don't want. At first I did. When you left in that boat, I just wanted to yell at you, curse you, tell you how hurt you left me. I didn't get out of bed for days and felt like I couldn't talk to Yang. Even I used the stuffed animal you gave me to practice my aim. "

"Mister Claws?"

Ruby shrugged, "I was upset. It took weeks for Jaune to get Nora and Ren. It was when I decided there was nothing I could do to stay at Patch that I convinced them to come to Mistral to investigate at Haven Academy, but I think that rather I just wanted to try to find you and find out your motives. I knew you were on the right track when we got to Lotam and met your grandmother; very good lady. It all started to make a little bit of sense after the Tyrian thing and Qrow telling us all about that. I felt bad, since you had to carry that on your own for a long time, just like it was with the Soul Reaper."

Hearing her blaming herself made me feel an emptiness inside me. It was me she should point the finger at.

"I shouldn't have hidden all of that from you," I sat on my bed. "After what happened, I should have trusted you to know that someone was infiltrating the academy. But I saw how excited everyone was about the festival that I didn't have the courage to take away their illusions. Even with Beacon gone, I didn't have the courage to get away from your home and family. "

"You are also part of my family. Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Nora, Ren ... Pyrrha. You more than anything."

"I know, but since I lost Pyrrha, I didn't feel the strength to protect you."

Ruby sat next to me, "You didn't lose Pyrrha. We all did."

"But it wasn't your fault that she distracted for a second and Cinder shot an arrow at her heel," I said as I felt the scar running over my right eye. "You were the one who saved me that night. I don't know how, but you did it."

"Everyone says that, and I have absolutely no idea how I petrified that huge Grimm. Uncle Qrow says it's because of the legend of people with silver eyes, but I haven't heard anything else."

"Same. Even in the Atlas libraries and the Schnee mansion I found something."

"Wait a minute. Did you go to Weiss's house?"

"During the General's visits to Jacques Schnee. At least I was able to find our favorite ice cube."

"Really?!" Ruby was suddenly excited. "How is she?"

"Fortunately, well. He enjoyed chatting with her whenever he could. She was also very affected by leaving Vale."

"I couldn't even say goodbye to her. The last time I saw her, she was helping me get to the top of the tower."

"Between us, she missed her best friend."

"I knew it," Ruby whispered victoriously, clenching a fist.

"And what is Atlas like?"

"Cold. Snow on days when the thermal system is serviced. State-of-the-art development equipment. They even fixed my eye with biotechnology," I pointed to my eyeball.

"It's true," Ruby exclaimed in amazement, stroking my face gently. I felt myself blush the more I looked into her eyes. It was then that she saw behind me on the coat rack hanging on a wall, "Is that-?"

"I sneaked into Beacon to pick up a few things. I went to your room to look for Alice's diaries when the package was under your pillow. It was before coming to Anima that I had the courage to open it."

"I see," Ruby pondered my words. "And how did you like it?"

"Every time it rained, it was as if you were with me covering me. Also every night I used it to shelter me, it was like those nights in Beacon when we slept on my futon. I felt you by my side at every moment, but I also felt ... , "I stopped when I felt like I couldn't keep my feelings at bay anymore," Ruby, I'm really sorry. I really didn't want to leave you, but I was afraid of losing you. If I lost you, I don't know- "

I was unexpectedly interrupted by Ruby, who stopped me by pressing her lips to mine. That soft feeling flooded my mind as my arms claimed her after so long and her hands caressed my hair. My body burned for her, with a flame that had been extinguished for so long that for so long that it was now a flare. I was willing to give up every second of air to feel her a little more.

The more I kissed her, the more my mind went back to those good days in Beacon. Our appointments at Vale. Those evenings when I helped her do the class work. Those nights when she sneaked up on me and we slept together. However, my mind also went back once more to those bitter moments that forced me to make that decision that tormented for months and still does. It was when Ruby's voice, calling me heartbroken from the dock at Patch, resounded in my head and my body reacted by pulling me back.

We looked at each other in silence, with our breathing shaken and our faces reddened by the burning moment of a few seconds ago.

"It is too early, right?" Ruby was the first to speak.

"Ruby, I ..."

"Don't worry. Maybe we still need a little time. We've been through some really intense things and I think we still have some things to figure out, like seeing Professor Lioheart."

"Yes, and I promise you once we're done with that, we'll work on ourselves."

"I know. Believe it or not, I still trust you," she replied before giving me one last kiss. "I'll go get it guys and we'll go out to lunch. Okay?"

With a quick jump, she went to the door and opened it. Before leaving, she turned to see me.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Kaiden, even from everything that happened and I hope we can fix it soon."

Before he could respond, she left the room. Those words were like a balm for my soul, as if a crack in me was beginning to fill with something that I had been missing for a long time.

I collapsed on my bed, reflecting on what had happened so far. Unlike what I expected, my conversation with Jaune and Ruby was much better than expected. I expected them to yell at me and release their anger on me, I even thought they would close the door on my face. The realization that I had thought badly of my friends made me feel more guilty, but I would have time to overcome it.

I was willing to regain everyone's trust, as hard as it was, but what would be more difficult would be to do it with myself. I would still have to fight to forgive myself for my mistakes and I didn't know if I could make it completely, but now I wasn't there. The guys now knew the same as me and now we were in the same fight.


	10. Old Soul

**Hello, everyone! I hope all of you be fine and safe at home or taking your precautions in case you have to work.**

**I'm sorry for taking long to upload the story. I've been dealing some stuff from the office and from the school that have been annoying me, besides I started playing Dark Souls (actually I defeated High Lord Wolnir day ago and about to venture myself in the Smouldering Lake).**

**By the way, why didn't anyone reminded me to reply the comments?! I feel awful for forgetting it.**

**DCDGojira**: Thanks for following the story! :)

**Infernex** (chapter 1): Thanks!

**MaeseJaime95** (chapter 7): Aprendí de Rick Riordan que no ha nada más satisfactorio que dejar en suspenso a tus lectores XD

**JokerAka** (chapter 4 ): Nope. I can't catch a break from the world, neither Kaiden

**Danoxis** (chapter 4): Amen, TLA was the best.

**MaeseJaime95** (chapter 4): Y eso que les prepararé algo bueno después relacionado con eso ;)

**Guest chapter 3**: I'm really happy knowing that my reader from vol 1 are still following. I really appreciate it.

**Don't forget to comment your thought about the story!**

**Now let's get to the story.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Old Soul

-o-

It took a few days for Qrow to be cleared to discharge from the hospital and to arrange a meeting with Professor Lionheart at Haven Academy. Saying we were excited was little to the mood in the group, myself included. I'd finally do what I had hoped to do once reached Mistral, even I hoped to find out something relevant about the infiltration that led to the attack on Beacon.

The view inside the kingdom made the one on the outside look like a cheap postcard. The buildings naturally found their place between the two mountains that made up the city with its winding streets full of people and shops that offered thousands of products; from ordinary things, like food or clothing, to specialized ones for huntsmen, from dust to weapons. From the viewpoint where we were, you could see waterfalls from the interior of the mountains that fell like waterfalls and were distributed by channel systems that went to who knows where. It was all amazing, but we were just barely above base. Going up the elevator towards the academy, the view got better and better until one was speechless.

Arriving at the Haven entrance, it felt like my first Beacon day. The great buildings imposing themselves above me and making me feel a familiar feeling of inferiority. But now it was different, since this time I was not alone. We walked among the buildings following the signs to the main building where the meeting would take place, fascinated by the architecture of the buildings. Everything was so different from Beacon, but at the same time so similar: cafeteria, training room, gym. Different place, same environment.

I hated to ruin the atmosphere of peace that was felt at the time, but that was the problem: everything was very calm. Too quiet. There was no one on campus. No student. No teacher. Even if it was class time, you should hear the murmur of the classrooms with their counterpart of Oobleck-

"DOCTORRrrrrrrrrrr..."

Ugh, the counterpart of Doctor Oobleck teaching. Still, everything was in deep silence.

The boys still weren't out of their amazement that they had finally made it to the academy, but I could see that Qrow was also noticing something strange about the absolute tranquility of the place. Our eyes met and he understood what was bothering me, but with a wave of his hand he indicated to me to stay calm for the moment.

Even in the main building there were no signs of life. Not even an administrative clerk walking down its hallways in a hurry to deliver an urgent document. Our footsteps echoed in the empty corridors, only being briefly overshadowed by Ruby's voice.

"Hello? HELLOOOO ?!"

"Maybe try... louder?" Nora scoffed.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here," Ren observed.

"Well, school isn't really in session right now," Jaune thought of some explanation for the silence that reigned in the academy. "Maybe that's it."

"Maybe, but it's all too quiet," I replied. "We should have already run into someone."

"This is not right," Qrow mumbled before running down the hall and we followed behind him.

My mind was at a thousand an hour, alert in case Tyrian appeared in a corner and suddenly attacked us. That didn't happen, but I still couldn't let my guard down until someone showed up. My biggest fear at the time was that Salem had gotten ahead of us and had already taken the academy. That one thought made me shudder, but I couldn't stop until I got answers.

We arrived at what must have been a type of waiting room with a double wooden door that had to lead to the office of the dean of the academy. To one side was a desk, full of stacked papers, and in front was what must have been a waiting room with long dark blue sofas and a small tea table between them.

We stopped in front of the door, Qrow leading the way. Without warning, he drew his sword.

"Prepare yourselves," he ordered us. "There may be a problem."

We all prepare our weapons, in case of a possible ambush.

Qrow lifted his leg and kicked open the door. Behind him was an old man, with silver hair and beard from age. Upon seeing us, he gave a cry of fear that we replicated in the same way.

"Prepare yourselves," he ordered us. "There may be a problem."

We all prepare our weapons, preparing for a possible ambush.

Qrow lifted his leg and kicked open the door. Behind him was an old man, with silver hair and beard from age with a tail behind. Upon seeing us, he gave a cry of fear that we replicated in the same way. Two things happened at that time: 1) Qrow lost his balance and fell on his back, 2) the man passed out.

"Uhmmm... Professor Lionheart?" Ruby guessed the name of the stranger.

The man recovered himself and glared at Qrow.

"QROW! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!"

"Me?" Qrow growled as he stood up. "Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?"

The man seemed confused by the accusation and finished with a pocket watch inside his greatcoat.

"OH, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."

"You're kidding," Qrow expressed what I thought, but it was the same with the others.

"Where is everybody?" Nora asked, in what we holstered our weapons.

"Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned."

"Yes, sir! Heh. Ruby Rose."

"Jaune Arc."

"Nora Valkyrie."

"Lie Ren."

"Kaiden Noir, nice to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you all," the man answered our introductions with a chuckle, "Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but-"

"What!?" Qrow cut him off abruptly, alarmed. "Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the relic !?"

Lionheart blanched as he mentioned the latest with his eyes quickly fixing on us, "Qrow! The children-"

"Already know. I filled them in," Qrow snapped. "Ozpin himself told Kaiden. What do you mean your staff is away?"

"You... filled them in?" the professor repeated Qrow's phrase, fearful for some reason. "Quick. Come in."

As expected, Lionheart's office was different from Ozpin's. Behind the desk where the headmaster of the academy sits were several large windows that let in the afternoon sun. On the columns between them was a huge shelf on which were a large number of books that were reached by grabbing the stair in the other side of the room. On either side of the door through which we entered were two huge bookcases full of papers, folders, and more books on so many subjects. Seeing them made me wonder if I could find any Cinder records on them.

Lionheart walked to his desk and sat behind, staring at us, "I have to say Qrow, this all seems very reckless, even for you."

"No, reckless is leaving one of the relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages."

"There was nothing to check in about before the Fall of Beacon. But since that day, Mistral has been in chaos! Vale wasn't the only kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house in every kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces, saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian knights attacking citizens… and then nothing. You could feel the dread in the air. With all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us. Mistral's controlled territory is the widest reaching in the world, y'know,

and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great huntsmen, teachers from this very institution, and it's only gotten worse. "

"We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First, it was the dust embargo. Now, it's the closing of borders. I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only worsened some of his more...unfortunate tendencies."

"He is doing his best to help," I objected, disgusted by the way he was referring to my father. "You weren't there that night, but we were putting our asses in stake as we fought with our backs against the wall. Perhaps the General may seem rash with his actions, but he does it to protect-"

"Kaiden..." Qrow interrupted me, holding me by the shoulder. I hadn't realized I was standing right in front of the teacher's desk, who was looking at me even more fearfully.

"Sorry," I apologized realizing that I acted hastily.

"Forgive him, Leo," Qrow interceded. "Truth be told, Kaiden is James's son and he came from Atlas to see you, like us. Ozpin introduced him before the Vytal Festival."

Lionheart looked at me closely, "Are you the son of James Ironwood? I really didn't expect that. I apologize for talking about him in such a way, but it hasn't been easy since that night. And, on top of everything, we still don't 't know where the Spring Maiden is. "

That last one left me in shock. She hoped that, after what had happened with Amber, there would be more protection with Spring as Atlas had done with her. Apparently I was wrong.

"Okay! Okay. Things are bad. They're bad. But we can figure this out," Ruby got into the chat. "Why is the Spring Maiden so important?"

"Didn't you tell them that?" I asked Qrow. When he told me everything in Patch, he had also added that.

"Mostly filled in. Look, there's a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason," Qrow fought back, taking out his flask and taking a long sip of happy water.

Both Lionheart and I were getting impatient with the huntsman attitude, which should have been a habit for him and me.

"The Four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic, and they are the only ones capable of reaching the relics," I explained. "Like a padlock that only opens with just a single key."

"What?" Jaune gasped in amazement.

"The relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific maide," Qrow continued. "The relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific maiden. Winter for the gift of creation, Summer for destruction, Fall for choice, and Spring for knowledge."

"Spring is the problem," Lionheart added.

"What happened to her?" Ren asked.

"She was determined at first when she inherited her powers, but the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She… ran. Abandoned her training, everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now."

"I know," Qrow spoke. "At least, I have a pretty good idea."

"Are you serious?" Lionheart rose from his chair excitedly, as did I. If we could find the Spring Maiden, we could put things in our favor in case Salem came to attack the academy.

"It's not exactly good news."

"What are you talking about? This is incredible news! After all these years? Where?!" the old man inquired as he walked towards him, but Qrow pushed him away.

"I did some digging around. Looks like after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits. Specifically, the Branwen tribe."

"Raven," Lionheart said the named like it were a curse.

Several in the room gave a gasp of surprise, but I shuddered at the information as I realized something I had missed weeks ago. During my fight against Remnant's worst mom, I remembered that someone else was there. I saw a girl running towards us when I felt that sudden wind that sent me flying. She knew about Raven's ability to make portals, and that gale felt too supernatural for a semblance. Now, knowing that the girl who wielded that power was with that tribe, that could only mean that ...

The thought was so shocking to me that I felt lightheaded. How had I been so blind? I had her so close but I hadn't realized until then.

Someone was shaking me by the shoulders. By the time I came back to my senses, Ruby was looking at me concerned.

"Kai, are you alright?"

"No. I'm a real fool. I saw her. That night in Shion."

"What do you mean?" Qrow questioned me.

"When I was fighting Raven during the raid on Shion, a girl appeared and a wind caught me off guard and got me off balance. I should have realized that. That was the powers of a maiden."

"There was no way you would know for sure. You have only seen a maiden's abilities only once and it was with Cinder. But at least we are certain that she is still alive and Cinder still hasn't found her... as far as we know." Qrow walked over to Lionheart's desk and placed his scroll that started projecting a region's holographic map, "That's about where they've set up their main camp. It's where they fall back to after raids and scouting missions. Raven's managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe. And I'm sure when the Spring Maiden showed up it only made things easier."

"Well, Qrow, I've got to hand it to you," Lionheart congratulated the huntsman with a pat on the back. He walked to his desk, typed something on the keyboard, and the projection faded. "With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."

"A few weeks?" I asked puzzled. Having this information, organizing an urgent extraction operation should be carried out in days. No more.

"Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister has the Spring Maiden and I know where she is. We need to go as soon as possible!" Qrow was upset by the elder's long time, and he wasn't blaming. With the situation prevailing throughout Remnant, it was an urgent mission to assure the maidens that they had not yet been taken by Salem.

"And perhaps you didn't hear me," Lionheart spoke angrily. "This kingdom is in shambles. As soon as possible does not mean tomorrow, it means as soon as I can convince the rest of the council that I need huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren't very high on their list of 'priorities' when the threat of war is just on the horizon. "

"Then damn the council, we'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained huntsmen, and these kids aren't exactly pushovers," Qrow snapped, drawing exclamations of support from the guys.

"Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?" Ren proposed.

"You don't know Raven. Dialoguing with that woman is impossible," I replied, remembering the derogatory manner in which he had referred to Yang, along with Ruby and her mother. If I had the chance I would make her pay for those words.

"We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible," Qrow insisted, "but Raven isn't going to give up her most prized possession without a fight."

"Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched," Lionheart retorted, "and I'm not the fighter I used to be. No offense, but these students and I can't take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that's no doubt had years to hone her skills. We need to be positive we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail, Raven and her tribe will scatter and we'll be lost. We get ONE shot at this. And it needs to be perfect. "

"Sigh..." Qrow sighed wearily. "You know, Oz wouldn't be happy with any of this if he were here."

"Perhaps you're right. But he's not and I'm doing the very best I can."

"There has to be something we can do?" Ruby offered.

"That's true," I agreed. "Cinder came to Beacon with Emerald and Mercury from Haven. If you give me permission to review the records I can find out how they did it or if someone helped them."

"I appreciate that, but we pulled their files after the fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries. "

"But maybe if you let me take a look, maybe I could see who uploaded-"

"Sorry, but like I said, we've already gone through everything in detail," Lionheart objected, anxious. "Also, we can't allow someone from outside to be in our network after everything that's happened."

Hearing that response made me feel tremendous frustration. I had not traveled from Patch to Atlas and then traversed half of Anima only to be rejected. I was about to protest when Qrow stopped me, staring at me before shaking his head, giving me a clear message to give up. I did, but reluctantly.

"Well, I can't say this has been a warm meeting, Leo."

"I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help."

"Sure. We'll stay in the city for the time being. Local comms are still up. Keep in touch. C'mon, kids."

"It was nice meeting you, Professor," Ruby said goodbye to the headmaster as we all headed for the door.

"Likewise."

I wanted to do the same. Give him some kind words, but the frustration and anger inside me prevented me. I couldn't believe I had made such a journey only to end up like this. I didn't know what exasperated me the most: the little support we had received or the fearful attitude of Lionheart. Even if it were uncertain times, a huntsman wouldn't be intimidated and would look for a way to overcome obstacles and more someone with a position that would guide him for future generations of defenders.

In the end I just nodded, unable to stop glaring at him before leaving and closing the door, totally disappointed in such a useless meeting with a cowardly lion.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A few days before leaving for what would be a terrible meeting, Qrow had an idea: if we were going to be in Mistral for an undetermined time, it would be better to find a place to settle down temporarily instead of staying at the inn. It was then that we went to a real estate service that took us to several places that were for rent.

The first was an apartment. Good view but there was little space.

Then a house on the lower levels. Cozy, but there was a suspicion that the neighbors were playing Breaking Bad chemistry.

Various things and departments came and went until we found a perfect place.

We fell in love with a house in a residential area. Spacious living room in case we had to hold meetings. Multiple bedrooms. Two half baths with a full one. Mistral style dining room. Equipped kitchen. There was even a training room with access to an open area with a view on the outskirts of the kingdom that left you speechless. The catch? The monthly rental price. Qrow offered to make the payments, but, either by fate or by his semblance, his credit card didn't pass. Somehow I knew what would happen, so I had to pay. Seeing the notification of the charge with that amount of line deducted from my account in my scroll was like a kick in the balls. Once the rent was approved, we made the move and bought the pantry of the week. Nora and Ruby would be staying in one room. Ren and Jaune would stay in another. I would have to endure Qrow's snoring. The remaining room would remain available in case of visits.

The days were filled with joy and fun in what we hoped Lionheart agreed to receive us. After that, our mood plummeted. Qrow deserted in search of a bar to drown his sorrows as we returned home. After a quiet dinner, Ruby retired to her room to read comics and the rest threw themselves on the sofas in the living room, without saying a word.

I didn't think it was going to be easy, honestly, but I didn't expect it to be that bad either. I could only wonder what would have happened if I had gone to Lionheart on my own. Maybe he hadn't even agreed to receive me. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. How could I be so silly?

"So what will happen next?" Nora spoke, breaking the silence.

"To be honest, I don't know," Jaune replied ruefully. "Maybe waiting to see what Qrow comes up with."

"I was hoping things would have been better," Ren spoke up. "I don't know why, but Professor Lionheart looked more scared than just the Grimms."

"But the question is what? Does he wait for an attack."

"Beacon was attacked inside. Maybe that's what bothers him."

The more I listened to them, the more questions formed in my head. What should we do? How can we convince Lionheart to help us get the Spring Maiden back? Was it too late and Cinder would have found her already?

My thoughts were already whirlwind when someone knocked on the front door. We all saw each other, wondering who it would be. If it were Qrow, he wouldn't have to knock on the door, since he has a key. There was not even anyone in Mistral who knew us, except for the SSSN team. However, they seemed to be out of the city since I couldn't contact them via scroll. Before I asked who was going to answer the door, I saw that the guys had a finger on their noses in a clear gesture that said "Not me". I had to resign myself and got up from my seat.

I approached cautiously, in case the door was suddenly knocked down and we were attacked. Requiem rested in a corner, so I could give the others a little time to get ready in case of any eventuality.

The door opened and I wasn't expecting what was behind it. There was a boy, short in stature. His skin was tanned with a faint, perpetual blush and freckles on his cheeks. His hair was black and his eyes were hazel, the main iris being forest green. He wore a dirty and scuffed white shirt that laces across the chest. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and a pocket on the left tricep. Orange suspenders held up his olive pants, which are tucked into worn, brown boots. The pants are patched over the knee, and a quilted cloth hangs loosely out of his left pocket. He was wearing orange gloves, with green straps overlapping across the back of the hand in an X shape, and around the wrist. He did not appear older than 15 years. Maybe 14.

The boy looked at me shyly, and I turned to see the others, wondering if they knew him, but they seemed as puzzled as I was.

"Can I... help you?" I asked, studying any sign of threat.

"Um...," the boy hesitated. "Is there a... Ruby Rose here?"

I stiffened at the question and listened as the boys stood up, alarmed just like me.

"Why?" Nora responded threateningly.

The boy didn't speak, which made the silence in the room tense. My hand was ready to call Requiem and attack.

"Well...," he started to say something when the situation suddenly got so much worse.

"I found him!" Qrow burst into the house, laughing happily. Too happy.

"I think her uncle could use some help?" the boy informed us uncomfortably.

Qrow staggered, still smiling, to the chair where Jaune and I had never sat before. He fell awkwardly onto the cushions, gasping for breath, "I found him."

Now it was worse.

Qrow + Alcohol + his semblance = possible catastrophe.

'Req, if Qrow tries to grab you to pawn you over liquor ...'

'I will fry his hand as with Ragna. Understood.'

It was then that angry footsteps approached on the wooden floor.

"What is going on out there ?! Can't a girl read her comics in peace ?" Ruby grumbled angrily. She saw Qrow in that state and rolled her eyes while sighing in exasperation. "Qrow, did you get drunk again?"

"Mayyyyybe ~"

"You... have silver eyes," the boy exclaimed fascinated.

It may no longer seem like he wasn't going to attack, but the way he looked at Ruby, I still saw him as a threat.

Ruby looked at us, wondering if we knew him, but understood that we were in the dark like her.

"Who are you?"

"Well… My name is Oscar Pine," he introduced himself. "But you probably know me as… Professor Ozpin?"

Hearing that statement stumped me. Qrow had already told me about the ability of the late Beacon headmaster, which allowed him to occupy a new body when the old one passed away. But I still didn't believe it. Just as those in the inner circle knew, so Salem must have been aware of it, and could send anyone posing as him and have us fall into her hands.

Qrow's laughter grew louder until he sat up on the sofa, arms raised in victory, "I did it!"

After that, he fell to the ground, where he fell completely asleep.

There was an awkward atmosphere in the room, with the Oscar boy who didn't seem to know what to do now and Qrow snoring loudly.

"Sigh... Can someone take Qrow to the shower and put the cold water on him?"

Jaune and I looked at each other and we had a quick encounter of rock, paper or scissors. I lose.

I grabbed Qrow by the arms and dragged him down the hall to the bathroom, leaving him in the tub and opening the key. It was a delight to see him fussing as soon as the liquid hit him in the face.

"What the hell?"

"Stay there until you clear your head," I glared at him. "Then meet us."

Even knowing what he would do after that disastrous meeting, I was disappointed to see him like this. For as long as I can remember, Qrow has always had a hand in drinking and I've had to learn the hard way what to do when alcohol went to his head. Sadly, his niece seemed to have been in the same situation repeatedly.

When I returned to the living room, Oscar was sitting in an armchair with the guys staring at him.

Even knowing what he would do after that disastrous meeting, I was disappointed to see him like this. For as long as I can remember, Qrow has always had a hand in drinking and I've had to learn the hard way what to do when alcohol went to his head. Sadly, his niece seemed to have been in the same situation repeatedly.

When I returned to the living room, Oscar was sitting in an armchair with the boys staring at him.

"Did he age backwards?" I heard Nora wonder.

"He's possesed!" Jaune exclaimed in alarm.

"Or I have reencarnated!" Ren guessed.

"Oh! Isn't it weird?" Ruby spoke in amazement.

"It is very weird, yeah," Oscar replied sadly.

"Okay, guys. I know it's surprising and exciting, but first I want to make sure it's really Ozpin who we have here and not someone posing as him."

"How?" Oscar asked fearfully.

I sat at the tea table in front of his seat and stared at him, "Question number 1: What is the name of your deputy headmaster and what's their weapon?"

Oscar closed his eyes for a moment and spoke, "Glynda Goodwitch and her weapon is a riding crop called The Disciplinarian that she uses to channel her semblance."

I looked at the boys, who seemed amazed at the accuracy of the description. It was a good start, but anyone who had thoroughly investigated the Beacon staff might know that.

"Very well. Number two: By what name did I introduce myself to Pyrrha in the vault?"

Oscar closed his eyes again and replied, "Virgil."

I felt a little more convinced. Now that was something only Pyrrha, Qrow, Glynda, Dad and Ozpin knew. I just needed one more proof that Ozpin was the one in front of me.

"Third question: what were your first words the day you first called me to enter Beacon?

Now that was a more complicated question, since it had been a call that only Ozpin and I had. Qrow had come out of the cabin to give us privacy.

Oscar closed his eyes again, this time taking a little more time before answering.

"You are a peculiar boy, Kaiden Azabache. At your age you are already killing Grimm at parties while others are not ready for such feats. I have an offer that may interest you and which I hope you will accept."

I was stunned. They were the same words from a year ago. Each one of them coinciding perfectly. There was no longer any doubt.

"It really is you."

That boy was Ozpin, though not quite. I had hoped that he would come with that brilliant optimism for which he was always recognized among Beacon students and staff. Instead, Oscar seemed to be just an ordinary boy.

"Have you finished the interrogation?" Qrow was back, sober (as far as I guessed), in dry clothes and drinking a cup of coffee that I hope he hasn't added a little of his happy water to. "Let's all just take a second and remember that this is very overwhelming for everyone."

We all stepped back and gave Oscar a little room to breathe, a little embarrassed to be harassing him when we barely met him.

"Thanks," he thanked Qrow as he took a seat next to him.

Oscar watched us curiously. His eyes sparkled with excitement, with some nervousness, just like Jaune and I when we went to our first comic book convention in Vale, the Vale-Con. I don't know if it sounds a bit exaggerated, but it bothered me that he kept looking at Ruby for a long time, although she didn't mind and smiled at him.

"Ah sorry!" He apologized. "It's just I've never really met Huntsmen and Huntresses before."

"Well, uh ... we've never met a person with two souls, so, first times all around, "Ruby replied friendly.

The atmosphere seemed to lighten with Ruby's usual attitude, until Qrow cleared his throat.

"Not to break up the whole 'getting-to-know-you' game, but we need to have a talk," he said. "Mind showing us your little parlor trick, kid?"

When he said "trick", I thought we would see his semblance, but the truth was different. Oscar looked uncomfortable again at the request.

"Yeah, okay. Just so you know, I'll still be here."

I didn't understand what the boy was trying to say. It was as if he had to go even if he didn't want to.

It was then that Oscar closed his eyes like the other times and took a deep breath. What happened was strange. It was as if he was suddenly seeing someone else, even if it was the same on the outside. As if his aura were changed by someone else's, although that might be the case at the time.

"It is so very good to see you again, students," I heard him speak in the same voice, but Oscar's gaze and posture changed. Full of confidence and wisdom. I had only seen one person with that radiating such a feeling.

"Professor Ozpin?" Ren guessed.

"Correct. And though I may be the one speaking, Oscar is still present, mentally," Ozpin replied. "He's merely handed over the control, so to speak. I'm afraid this all must be very perplexing."

"And alarming, and bizarre, and just really kind of of hard to believe overall!" Nora exclaimed in alarm, which Ozpin found amusing with a chuckle.

"It's good to see you children still have your sense of humor." Then he looked at me, "It is good to see that you are alright, Mr. Noir. I imagine this is very strange to you."

"Qrow, you've already told me about this, but seeing it in person is a crazy thing."

"I know. And I know you've all been through tremendous hardship already. I'm sorry."

"I mean, it's not your fault," Ruby comforted him.

"It's all my fault." It was then that Ozpin's aura of peace changed to one of regret, "I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet,

and I wasn't exaggerating. I'm ... cursed. For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The Professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form, and clearly wasn't my last. It's ... an extraordinarily renuous process on everyone involved. "

"So, who... what... are you?" Jaune asked, searching for the correct words.

"I am the combination of countless men who've spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant. With every rebirth, my soul is eventually merged with another and I am changed, but my memories stay with me. This curse was bestowed upon me by the gods

because I failed to stop Salem in the past. But we must stop her now. "

"And how will we do that?" I asked. "Let's just say things didn't go well at Beacon."

"We start...," he started to say before sipping the cup of coffee that Qrow gave him, as if with that the transformation was complete, "by ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge."

"For this we need the Spring Maiden, right?" Ruby guessed.

Ozpin nodded, "If we have the key with us, no one else will be able to open the chest."

"But she's with Raven and Lionheart doesn't seem like he'll lift a finger to help us bring her back for the rest of the year," I informed him.

"Not that anymore!" Nora exclaimed excitedly. "We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take cute little boy Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight!"

"Please, don't call me that."

"We're not sure that's the best idea," Qrow objected, causing the redhead to grumble and reluctantly sit next to Ruby with her arms crossed in anger.

"But I thought the headmasters all took their orders from you," Ren spoke.

"That was the intention. Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo. He isn't just behaving irrationally, and he's disobeying specific instructions I had left him."

"Are you saying that maybe Lionheart is compromised?" I wondered, taking note of faunus' behaviour that afternoon.

"I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities either. No one outside of this room knows that I've paired with Oscar, and I think it may be best to keep it that way," Ozpin explained, getting up from his seat and walking to look at the painting on the wall, which was a portrait of Mistral.

"Play things close to the chest until we get a better hand," Qrow proposed. "Now, we have two steps ahead of us. The first is enlisting the aid of more Huntsmen."

"So long as they're trustworthy."

"You can trust them to put up a good fight. I'll throw together a list tonight," Qrow declared with total confidence until he placed his feet on the tea table, which "curiously" broke a leg while doing so and dropped the cup of coffee that was on top.

"Good luck with that," Nora added the cherry to the cake.

The huntsman grumbled and began to collect the remains of the cup as Ozpin was still talking.

"After that, we can move on to step two."

"What's step two?" Nora asked.

"Getting you four into fighting shape."

This statement seemed somewhat absurd to me. As far as he knew, everyone in that room was in optimal condition to fight any adversary. We were able to survive Tyrian and eliminate the Nuckelavee.

"But, uh, we already know how to fight," Ruby objected.

"Yes," I agreed, "I even made most of the trip from Atlas to here on my own."

"Maybe, but Miss Rose can only fight so long as you have Crescent Rose and still lacks in hand-to-hand combat," Ozpin said pointing his cane at Ruby.

"Well, uh, yeah."

Then he pointed to Jaune, "Mr. Arc, I'm glad to hear you've improved,but sorry to say, you've yet to unlock your semblance."

And then he pointed to me, "And, Mister Noir, Qrow has told me that you have been able to use the Overdrive at will, so you will work to have more control on it."

It was true, I still had to find a way to keep the aura flowing and not pass out from lack of air.

"All of you still have a ways to go before you're ready to pose any real threat against Salem and her forces. And though Oscar can give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body and his Aura. He'll inherit my muscle memory in time, but practice will expedite the process. "

"But if Qrow's out looking for Huntsmen, then who's going to teach us?" Ruby asked.

As if he had expected that question, Ozpin pirouetted backwards and landed on the chair where he had sat before.

"Well, I believe I was the headmaster of Beacon Academy," he proclaimed, spinning his staff with one hand. "We have approximately one month before classes resume at Haven.

If Salem were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to students' return. It's not much time, but it's better than nothing. Just don't expect me to go easy on you. "

The feeling was mixed. On the one hand, he was excited to be trained by Ozpin himself, who was said to have been a prodigy in his hunting days. But on the other hand, I did not expect him to advise us being in the body of a boy younger than me and who would also be training with us.

As if some sort of time limit had been reached, Oscar's body shuddered, beginning to teeter dangerously on the couch before falling onto his back.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he groaned in pain.

"Oscar?" Ruby asked, concerned about the boy.

"Oz can't be on the wheel long," Qrow warned us. "It will be a while before Oscar and Ozpin act and think as one. But, until then, everyone goes to bed. Kaiden, you will share a room with Oscar."

"Too bad, I miss your snoring already," I scoffed as I helped Oscar to his feet. "Come on, I'll show you around the place."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

We took a quick tour of the house, explaining a few rules along the way, like the waiting list for the bathroom; taking the opportunity to write down my name and Oscar's after Ren to use it.

The room to use did not have much difference to the others. Two beds, desks, and a nice view out the window. I gave Oscar a little space to settle into what was my turn to bathe.

"Oscar, I know I hardly know you, but I would like to ask you for a favor," I said as they were both in the room.

"Yes?"

"I would like to speak to Ozpin ... just for a few minutes."

Oscar seemed about to refuse, but instead he just closed his eyes and that personality change occurred.

"Did you want to talk to me?" Ozpin spoke.

"You already knew that Ironwood is my father, right? That's why you invited me to join Beacon and your circle."

"I invited you to join the academy because Qrow had told me about your training. I knew it was time for you to go to Beacon to be better when I saw the video of your exploits at that party. It was never because of your blood. When you I called that day to take you to the Vault, it was because I knew I could trust you. That you were someone who could keep a secret and fight to keep it. You have even been able to gain control over an extremely dangerous technique. "

"Perhaps the Overdrive is-"

"It is technically magic, one that was developed by a group of people who followed the God of Darkness and which was lost for centuries until your grandfather discovered and deciphered it. The symbols you painted yourself that time with the Soul Reaper were channelers of energy to release limiters. The fact that you died and came back to life could be the reason why you can use it at will. "

Hearing that coming from Ozpin made me feel satisfied with myself. Even with the question of what will happen in the following weeks, I was relieved to be able to count on the guidance of someone like him.

"I know you have more questions, but I think Oscar is already reaching his limit today. He is still not used to this body sharing, that's why we will be working on it."

"Oh sure. Don't worry."

Giving me one last smile, Ozpin closed his eyes and Oscar returned to his controls. The effort to keep Ozpin must have been a lot for Oscar who staggered before he held him.

"Sorry, I should have known you were tired already."

"Don't worry. I'll get used to it sooner or later."

Seeing him reminded me of myself when I was his age. Back then I was training on my own in Aztlan. I had no one to guide me with Alice having passed away years ago and the few visits of Qrow. It should not be the same story for Oscar. Despite the fact that Oscar's soul was now intertwined with one that was centuries (if not thousands) of years old and packed with knowledge, he was still a boy with zero combat experience.

"We'll help you do it," I assured him, holding him by the shoulder.

I had already failed to help Pyrrha and Ozpin, but now I would do what is necessary to prevent history from repeating itself. This time a kingdom would not fall. This time no friend of mine would die. This time we would win and live another day.


	11. Don't forget the training montage

**Hello everyone!**

**I'm sorry for taking too long updating the story and I know that many of you is expecting what role Kaiden would play in the fight in Haven. Let's say it's gonna be exciting. **

**I've felt down lately. With the situation in the world (the COVID19, the people losing their jobs, the lake beside my city totally dirty because a stream of water coming from a side that ruined the beautiful color blue it's known for, etc.), I've haven't felt the strength to work on the story. Don't get me wrong. I won't go on hiatus and abandon the fic, but some days getting up from the bed is a hard task.**

**To keep my mind busy away from the shitload of world outside and as I feel the inspiration, I've been finishing some games, like Naruto Shippuden Ninja Storm 4 and my first run in Dark Souls 3. The last one is giving me ideas for some weapons and I've been reading about Artorias, so expect some interesting stuff.**

**Anyways, this chapter is gonna feel kind slow, but it's the warm up for the incoming mess.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Don't forget the training montage

-o-

In a way, Oscar looked cute sleeping peacefully. We had spent part of the night talking and sharing stories. Telling him all my crazy things left him open-mouthed and he telling me about his life in his aunt's farm. I was wrong, he already had some combat experience, even if it were with small size Grimm.

It was a shame to have to do the following. I took a deep breath and blew my whistle. With a frightened scream, the boy woke up and fell to the side of the bed.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. We'll start with the training. Wash your face, get dressed, and see me on the backyard in 10."

"I thought we'd start after breakfast," Oscar looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand.

"And I thought you told me you woke up early on your farm to work."

"But we are not on the farm."

"No, we are in the kingdom of Mistral and we have a month to get you ready in case Salem attacks. Now, move," I replied authoritatively; maybe something I inherited from my dad.

Reluctantly, the boy stumbled toward the door, hitting the frame, and headed for the bathroom. 15 minutes later, he barely made it to our meeting place.

"You took another 5 minutes."

"Sorry, I had to use the toilet."

"Ah, fine. On the ground and give me 20."

"20 what?"

"20 lien... 20 push-ups actually. Start."

Grunting, Oscar got into position and began to descend and then ascend flexing his arms.

What started as a moment that allowed me to enjoy the power of being an instructor soon faded when I saw Oscar's difficulty in doing the push-ups, so I stood next to him and positioned myself to do the exercise.

"Keep your back straight and your arms steady," I said. "Slowly descend and take a deep breath before going up."

Oscar seemed to have no trouble following my directions, inhaling and exhaling at a steady rate as he rose and fell until he almost touched the ground. During that time, I did the same, although by the time he had finished 20, I had already done several more.

"I thought we were going to work on huntsman stuff," he gasped as he caught his breath.

"We will go step by step. First we will strengthen your body before unlocking your aura and working on using it to protect yourself."

"And will we do that in a month?"

"We will do what we can. The good thing is that you have Ozpin and us to help you. If what he asid about recovering muscle memory is true, it'll be a matter of time until you can defend yourself enough to not be beaten down in less of a minute."

"Yes, that's what he told me."

"Who? Ozpin?"

Oscar nodded, "He said I could trust you."

It felt good knowing that Ozpin counted on us to make sure everything was okay, even after the failure we had at Beacon.

"So what's next now?"

"We will do a few laps about 30 minutes to exercise the legs."

The morning was already in all its glory by the time Nora called us for breakfast. Oscar was already on the verge of fainting after a series of squats, pull ups and doing the push-up for about 30 seconds while I had barely sweated, so I gave him my turn in the bathroom to clean up before eating.

When I entered the kitchen, my mouth started to water as I felt the delicious smell that filled the place and it was no wonder, since Ren had to cook that morning.

"Good to see you here," Ruby said leaving a stack of dishes in my hands. "Set the table."

"How did Oscar do?" Nora asked curiously while preparing the orange juice.

"Despite having no training, he has a lot of stamina."

"That's good," Ren exclaimed as he turned off the stove. "Before releasing the aura, the body must be in good condition to avoid complications."

"Then tomorrow we could unlock his aura and move on with training," Jaune proposed bringing a plate of chopped fruit to the table.

Everything was ready when Oscar arrived.

"How you feel?" I asked him, serving me some sausages to accompany my scrambled egg.

"Good, although that routine was somewhat intense."

"Intense? I started doing that routine since I was 8 years old."

"Really? Then I still have a long way to go."

"You will get used to it," Jaune assured him. "I started a year ago and have had no problems since then. Now eat, you will need energy and Nora almost eats all the food already."

We looked at the redhead, who had a mouthful of food and still served herself even more.

"I'm leaving," Qrow warned us, having finished drinking his cup of coffee. "I'll let you know if I'm coming for lunch. Good luck with pipsqueak's training."

"And you with the recruiting," Ruby responded energetically to her uncle.

"Surely you don't want me to come with you?" I asked. "I'm done giving hell to Oscar."

"Ozpin said to train. To find a way to control the Overdrive for you. Also, the places I go are not for children," Qrow replied before leaving the door.

"Is it okay for him to go on his own?" Jaune asked concerned. "You know, because of his semblance."

"I don't know, but let's hope he finds huntsmen to support us. He's really sensitive when it's about his bad luck," Ruby replied. "In the meantime, we have issues to deal with."

"I can help with hand-to-hand combat training," Ren offered, leaving his tea on the table. "It would be good if you join us, Ruby, since Ozpin is right: you have to learn to fight without using weapons."

"Good," the girl grumbled.

"I can handle the weapons training," Jaune offered. "The advice Pyrrha gave me will be very helpful. Kaiden, will you help me?"

"Sure."

"I can be emotional support!" Nora said before running to Oscar's side. "EAT WELL, PINE! FILL UP ON THOSE PRECIOUS CALORIES! FILL UP ON POWER!"

The boy seemed more frightened than inspired.

"So will we continue to exercise more today?"

"Among other things," Ren explained. "We'll also explain the basics to you before moving on to more advanced topics. For now, it's up to Nora to train you."

Nora stared at the boy with a crooked smile, "We're going to have a lot of fun."

Oscar just looked at me fearfully and muttered, "Help me."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

If the exercises from before had not been enough, Nora left Oscar on the verge of collapse. It was to be expected, since Yang was the only living being who could keep up with Valkyrie and still be alive. Even when drinking water, I felt sorry for him and got him a long straw to drink the water, since his arms couldn't even get up.

"Nora, I think you broke him," I said, watching Oscar breathing heavily on the ground.

"I only applied the rookie level."

"The rookie level also had 30 push-ups with you on top?"

"It was going to be 50, but I had to make time to do the crunches."

"Jaune, have you seen anyone vomit blood?"

"What?! No!"

"Then pay attention."

"Hey ... I'm still... here..."

"Barely."

"Kaiden, do you want a round in the meantime?" Jaune asked.

"Very good, Arc, show me how much you have improved."

As we got into position, my intrigue grew to know how much the blonde had progressed in that time that we had not seen each other and how he had done since Pyrrha was no longer to train him.

I unsheathed Requiem and wielded Samaritan in its knife form. Jaune took his sword with his shield. We both waited for the other to make the first move. I assumed he was still focused on defense, so my hand moved quickly and I threw the knife, which Jaune blocked with the shield, bouncing off the metal surface. I took advantage of that moment to approach and retrieve my blade before attacking now with my sword. Jaune parried the attack with his blade and thrust his shield at me. My head rang like a bell as I looked closely at Arc's emblem, getting me to be stunned for a few seconds that Jaune used to counter-attack.

Jaune's attacks had become stronger and more precise. Several flaws he had had at Beacon were now covered and refined. Even the sloppy movement of his body when swinging his sword had been corrected, leaving me with fewer opportunities to land a hit.

"Alright, the vomit boy is already a weathered warrior."

"I have had a good teacher."

"Yes, a great teacher," I couldn't help but smile. Somewhere, Pyrrha must be proud.

"Let's make this more interesting," Jaune declared, folding his shield and sheathing his sword inside, then wielded the sword as the edges of the scabbard sharpened, becoming a broad sword.

The increased weight of the weapon encouraged the movements, but the attacks became more powerful, making me stumble the first times I blocked it. Even wanting to surround him, I couldn't find an opportunity to land a hit, since at that moment he waved the weapon in a wide arc that made me recoil from the impact.

I charged once more against him as he traced a descending swing. Our blades collided so hard that it numbed my arms. We both struggled to gain dominance, but Jaune seemed to be the victor as the weight of his sword fell more heavily on me to the point that I could see my face reflected on its blade.

Perhaps it was instinctive, but suddenly I stopped breathing and felt my aura burning, channeling my energy to my blade and suddenly releasing it. Jaune was thrown through the air several meters before hitting the tree hard, remaining immobile.

"Jaune!" Ren's alarmed voice brought me back and I felt the energy that I had released take its toll on my body, but I still ran towards my friend, who was beginning to open his eyes, surrounded by the others.

"Jaune, I'm so sorry," I apologized in fear at what I had done. "It didn't go deliberately. It just happened without thinking."

"I'm fine," he assured me slowly, standing up. "I'm glad to hear that I've progressed enough to be worthy of being knocked out by the Overdrive."

"Seriously, Jaune, I don't know what happened to me."

"I think I have an idea," Oscar spoke, but his tone of voice was pure confidence in his words, so Ozpin should have taken the wheel. "Apparently, your body has been getting used to using the Overdrive that uses it as an emergency resource against any threat. That is why I think Kaiden should work on controlling it better."

"If I could just go back to Aztlan and check Alice's annotations, I might know a little more about it."

"Actually, the Overdrive is a variant of a ritual used by an ancient cult that idolized the God of Darkness," Ozpin explained. "A pact was made to have greater power and feel close to their deity as their aura was consumed. If they managed to move to the other side and return, they considered themselves worthy of such power. I have no idea how that knowledge came to Edward Noir, but it goes without saying that, even then, such a practice was prohibited as it had a death rate of 99%... so you have been 1% in returning alive. "

"But amnesiac," Nora added.

"You don't have to remind us of that," Ruby groaned. "It was a headache to teach him everything again."

"However, now Kaiden's body has assimilated an unprecedented ability that he now has to learn to control. Unfortunately, even I am not aware of anything like this having been accomplished, making it uncharted territory for us."

"Wait a minute," I interrupted the explanation as a memory came to mind. "Is that why you warned me not to use it this time against the Soul Reaper? Why did you already know about it?"

Ozpin nodded, "I just wanted to protect one of my students. But the important thing is that you are here with us right now and you have a great responsibility to control that power."

Ozpin was correct. I had searched for ways to control the Overdrive on my trip with various methods, but nothing worked except for holding my breath and forcing my aura to catch fire, but even so I barely lasted 3 minutes and that took more time when I had to be in move and attack. I even tried variants of breathing at the same time, but without success.

I knew there was a way to gain more control and not have to worry about passing out from lack of oxygen. I had accomplished something similar when I finished with that tribe of bandits. If only I could know that last piece of the puzzle, using it at will would be easier.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The following days were divided into one part to train with the others, while the other would be to unravel the mysteries of the Overdrive.

Thinking of new ways to use the skill took longer than putting them into practice. Each one was like trying to accelerate a race car from 0 to 100 in 3 seconds and hoping to achieve stability, which was impossible for me. Once I got tired of it, I used the same technique of holding my breath and studying my movements to make them more efficient and reduce the amount of effort required that could cost me seconds of stamina. The latter became an advantage that was reflected in my combat practices by having greater control of my movements and attacks.

Oscar was improving at a rapid pace as Jaune gave him his first lessons in brandishing his weapon. Seeing him while he was teaching filled me with nostalgia as I remembered the times in Beacon, when Pyrrha did the same with him. Time does pass in the blink of an eye.

Not all was going so well, however, since Qrow had been unlucky to find allies who could be on our side the moment Salem and his entourage made their move. From what he was discreetly telling me, all the hunters on his list had gone on missions and none had returned alive... or had not returned at all.

That made me feel hopeless. Time was running out and I didn't believe that with just 7 of us, even with Oscar in a position to fight, there would be an opportunity to face an attack. Shit, even in Beacon we had a huge number of professional huntsmen and trained students, and still they beat us up.

We couldn't let Ruby and the others know about the unusual circumstances of the disappearances, so Qrow only said that they were still on a mission. They were excited about the training so we didn't want to spoil the mood.

It was a quiet afternoon when I had another failed Overdrive ignition. Having my aura burning, I took a little breath and everything dissipated. The tiredness wasn't significant since I was only holding the air for a few seconds. Still, I leaned back on the mat in the training room and stared at the ceiling for a while, as if the rafters were going to give me the answers I was looking for.

I closed my eyes and let myself be carried away by the silence in the room, with the sound of the breeze reaching the mountain as my only companion. I felt at peace. My mind felt calm. My breathing in a gentle rhythm with my chest rising and falling filled me with fresh air.

It was then that I could hear footsteps approaching on the wooden floor. When I opened my eyes I noticed that it was already getting dark and Oscar was going down the stairs that led to the place.

"Oh sorry. I thought no one was using the training room."

"It's ok," I said, jumping to my feet. "I was already leaving."

"Thank you."

Once the space was clear, Oscar began to do reps, brandishing his staff at various angles as if fighting an invisible enemy. His posture was improving, although his attacks still needed to be polished further.

"Put more firmness in your biceps," I advised placing myself next to him and performing the same movement with my sword. "Feel the weight of your weapon and make it a part of you. Exhale with each attack."

Oscar did as he was told. It was not perfect, but it was progress.

"Balance your weight on your legs," I stated, slashing a cut forward, taking a step and backing away with another. "That will help you to shorten the distance with your opponent and also to distance yourself if you can't bear the heat."

I stood in front of him with my sword raised and launched an attack. Maybe it's because of his size, but Oscar was agile in the legwork, moving forward and backward quickly. He evaded each attack with agility and responded with another that I blocked. When he finally grabbed the trick, we tried lateral evasions and blocks.

Truth be told, I liked teaching the boy. The feeling was complicated, but it felt good to teach the next generation of huntsmen and pass on my knowledge so that they can be shared in the future. Maybe that's how Alice felt with me.

"Don't stop," I indicated parrying a strike. "Hit and move. If you stay in one place after attacking, you only risk being vulnerable and a counterattack."

I set the example by sweeping one leg behind Oscar's, knocking him to the ground, and placed the Requiem tip in front of his face.

"Also be aware of anything that can make you lose your balance and become vulnerable."

"Understood."

"He's gettin really better, huh?" Ruby watched from the bottom step of the stairs. "Are you two hungry? It's almost dinner time."

I turned to Oscar, "Are we done for today?"

"Uh, yeah. That sounds good," Oscar replied.

"So, you never fought before?" Ruby asked him.

"Just the occasional small Grimm," the boy replied, sheepishly. "Nothing like this, though."

"You'll get used to it," I patted Oscar's back and sheathed Requiem.

"It's strange," Oscar exclaimed as he gazed on his cane. "I've only had this cane for few weeks, but it feels I've had it a lifetime. Longer, even. I know it sounds like a crazy person."

"Well, yeah, just a little," Ruby said. "But, at this peace, you'll be combat ready in no time."

When Ruby said those last words, I could see the glitter on her face fade to shadow. I felt the same way, since, when saying "combat ready", I could only think of Penny and the last time I saw her; lying in pieces on the arena of the Amity Coliseum.

I walked with a firm step towards Ruby, taking her by the shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes, "Go ahead and make sure that Nora doesn't eat all the food, okay?"

Ruby smiled at me slightly, just nodding and walking back up the stairs without saying a word. The air in the room felt heavy.

"She is fine?" Oscar asked, concerned.

"Yeah, it's just that we're still dealing with some bitter memories."

"How can you handle all this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm... scared. More scarred than I've ever been before." Oscar walked to the weapon rack and put down his cane. "I knew I wanted to be more than a farmer, but, this? Who'd ask for this?"

I could see that a tear ran down his throat and fell on the wooden floor. I didn't blame him, since there were times when I had felt this way.

"I didn't ask for this either, you know? My dream had always been to leave Aztlan and go to Beacon to become a huntsman, like my mother, Alice. But then I carried the brand of a Soul Reaper, so my days were numbered and I was just waiting for the moment to face the Grimm. It was then that I met Ruby and all my friends and felt what I had been looking for so much: a reason to live. I will not go into details: I faced the Soul Reaper, I won, I died. For more information, ask Ozpin. However, when I thought that now I would have the rest of my life to enjoy it, I discovered all this mess of maidens, relics and magic. I thought I could handle it all, but that night at Beacon proved to me how wrong I was. But there is no other option but to keep going on."

"How can you say all that and be so calm? People have tried to assassinate you! The world is going to war again! How can you be okay with it all?!"

I could relate to Oscar's anger. I have been asking myself the same questions for months. How could I bear those years of loneliness and my journey on my own throughout Anima with those thoughts. It was simple: I had learned that all that had already happened. For better or for worse, those experiences were already part of me and could not be changed, just as they were learning not to make the same mistakes.

I took a deep breath and stared at Oscar.

"Many lives were lost in Beacon, as it changed for all those who survived. I saw my friend Blake being stabbed by Adam Taurus, who cut off Ruby's sister Yang's arm. I lost two friends that night: Penny Polendina and Pyrrha Nikos. They were those people you could trust your life with, even if you had only recently met them. I failed to save them. They both died in front of me without being able to do anything about it. They were part of my family, and I failed to protect them."

"Kaiden, I… I'm sorry."

"You said you were scared. I feel the same, too. The way we were taken by surprise at Beacon was coldly and precisely thought out. They hit us where we least expected. But I can't afford to hesitate because of fear. I just I can accept it and use it to get up to fight.

"I won't lie to you. I still feel that urge to grab my things and go to Aztlan and stay in that cabin, but, the last time I left Ruby, it ripped me apart. But I won't, knowing what's at stake."

When I looked at Oscar, I understood that I had exceeded myself. He was fearful, standing next to me with his hands clenched into fists and trembling. He was just a 14-year-old boy in a cosmic level mess because an immortal elder had chosen his body for a desperate vacant on AirBnB for souls.

"But rest easy. I am optimistic about what awaits us. We will make sure you are ready to fight when the time comes."

"Really?"

"Yup, you're part of the gang. You're safe while you're with us."

"Thanks," Oscar replied a little calmer.

"Go ahead and eat. I'm going in a moment."

"Are you sure? Because I think Ruby was serious about Nora."

"As long as Ren can stop her, I have faith that everything is fine."

"Ok, I'll still put some food aside for you in what you come."

"I appreciate it."

Oscar walked up the stairs, backpack on his shoulder with his compacted cane inside. He turned to see me for a moment, so I gave him a confident smile before continuing to climb, leaving me alone in the room.

I exhaled deeply once there was no one. I didn't know which one was more tired, training or keeping control of my emotions while talking to Oscar. I felt my wounds throbbing as I remembered Penny, butchered in the middle of the colsover, and Pyrrha, being struck by the arrow Cinder shot him that night. I had already accepted that I would never see them again and that this pain would be part of me for life.

I couldn't afford to fail again. This time I would be ready for whatever came along and we would protect Mistral. And, looking at the bright moon that shone that night, I vowed that I would not allow anyone else in my family to be taken from me.


	12. Forgiveness

**Hello everyone!**

**I hope you're ok and taking care of yourself. Sorry for the delay in the update. I started online lessons to learn Japanese and been kinda busy working (repairing some PCs and wiring some office networks), and some games I started playing, like Far Cry 5, Ni no Kuni 2, and Fifa 20.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, because we're starting the good stuff soon.**

* * *

Chapter 12: Forgiveness.

-o-

_I'm going back. I have company._

_Qrow_

Those Qrow words came to us around 2 in the afternoon. They came as a relief after being unlucky enough to make contact with some huntsmen unaffiliated with Mistral's council to help us retrieve the Spring Maiden from Raven.

As soon as Ruby received the message from her uncle, we all abandoned training and started preparing everything. We cleaned the house down to the darkest corner to make a good impression on our potential allies, making me realize how important it was every time Mary made Lazulli, Jade and me clean up before visitors arrived. We even took the opportunity to quickly clean the rooms. We were almost done, so Oscar and I were in charge of finishing the cleaning as the others worked in the kitchen preparing lunch after a quick trip to the market.

I had already finished vacuuming the room when Ruby approached quickly.

"You finished?"

"Almost."

"I'll take care of it. I need you to buy a pack of glasses. The ones we have won't be enough if a large group arrives."

I looked at my watch. I had about 20 minutes before Qrow arrived. The closest supermarket was 4 if I was running, about 5 to get the glasses and pay if there was a long line, and another 4 (or little more being careful with the glasses) if I returned quickly, giving me about 6 minutes to spare.

Even without using my semblance, I quickly made it to the store in a few seconds and wandered the aisles looking for the glassware section. There was a little bit of everything from porcelain plates to very detailed cartoon tea sets. When I looked for the glass packages, I found one that contained 8 of really elegant design and, best of all, it was on sale with a really attractive price. I didn't think about it anymore and took the last box that was left before heading to the box.

I had taken a few steps when someone cleared his throat behind me. I didn't pay attention until I heard it again, now in a higher pitch. A plump lady, wearing a garish pink blouse and tiger-patterned leggings that hugged her fat legs in an unattractive way, stared at me. I had seen videos with similar people with the same haircut as that woman, so I became alert. I was dealing with something more dangerous than a Grimm or Salem herself: a Karen.

"Yes? Can I help you?" I asked politely.

"Yes, you can," she replied authoritatively. "I want the package of glasses you are carrying."

"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry and I need them," I said kindly before resuming my stride. It was then that the woman held my arm so tightly that my aura protection activated before her nails dug into my skin.

"Not as much as me!" the Karen roared. "I have an important bridge game tonight!"

"I have a really important huntsmen meeting, ma'am. Let me go or I'll call the store staff."

The woman glared at me for a few seconds before releasing me without saying a single word.

I wasted no time and I took a quick step away while keeping an eye on the Karen, who was not moving from her place. She then yelled "Becky" and someone tackled me from the side, making me lose my grip on the box and knocked me to the ground. Looking up I thought I was seeing a Behemoth, but it was actually a woman in her 50s with a body as huge as a wrestling fighter. Hell, she's as big as Yatsuhashi.

Becky looked at me and smiled smugly before leaving, perhaps to pay for the glasses or to tear down the nearest wall. I had already gotten up to reach the mastodon when I fell again, now because my legs were tied by two balls of yarn that had become entangled. The Karen was looking at me with satisfaction, her arm in position as if she had just thrown something; maybe my ties.

I cursed myself for leaving Requiem at home while I pulled Samaritan out from under my jacket and cut the yarn with a gash to head out toward Becky, who was two corridors away. I reached her in a few seconds, quickly touching her shoulder to make her look back, taking the opportunity to sneak around her blind spot and retrieve the package.

Becky noticed my trick and launched herself at me. It was a few meters to reach the cashier when Karen appeared in front of me and threw more balls of yarn that I dodged, but Becky did not, falling like a freshly cut tree behind me. Karen tossed more yarn out of the bag she was carrying. I threw the box into the air, distracting the woman enough to use my semblance to smoke, dodge the yarn and go around it and catch the box before leaving it on the cashier's conveyor belt.

I thought I could already sing victory when the Karen approached with a hurried step, her furious gaze about to set me on fire, and faced the cashier.

"This boy took the box of glasses from me," she pointed her finger at me. "I had them first so they are mine by right."

"Madam, you are lying. You and your friend were the ones who attacked me and took it from me first."

"Bullshit!" She looked at the poor girl who was attending to us, "Call the manager. I demand that you give me an extra discount for being attacked by this bandit. These glasses are mine!"

Right after she had taken the box, the bottom part of the box opened and the glass tumbled open, crashing to the spotless floor of the store and breaking into thousands of pieces. Silence reigned in what we looked at what was left of the glasses, along with the stunned gaze of the passers-by.

I looked at the cashier and said, "You heard her. The glasses were hers. She pays."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was a curious scene. The Karen (who actually was called Karen) made a tremendous tantrum, added to a large number of insults towards me, the cashier and everyone who filmed her. When she was asked to pay what she broke, it was as if a kerosene tank was being thrown into a fire. At the end I had a beautiful view of how several security guards carried her, hanging from her arms and legs, while Becky was also escorted, although in a calmer way. As for me, I gave my side of of what happened and presented my student permit since I was carrying my weapon at the time.

By the time I realized it, I was already several minutes late and Qrow should have already arrived at the house, so I quickly took two packages of good quality glasses and paid for them quickly thanks to the cashier who had attended me earlier.

Even in a hurry, I had to watch my step so as not to have the same unfortunate accident as Karen. It took me longer than expected to get there, but I did it without breaking a single one. However, something made me stop dead in front of the front door.

There was a motorcycle parked to one side of the entrance. The combination of black and yellow paint on its body that exuded speed and aerodynamics made the vehicle look like a huge bumblebee. I had seen that motorcycle countless times: when it was taken out for a ride, when I was taught how to drive it, when it had installed that set of lights that cost almost an arm and a leg.

A thought sent a tremendous chill through my body.

If that was there, then...

I put the glasses to one side of the door and opened it slowly.

The boys were there, next to Qrow, and, right in the middle of the room, a moving scene was taking place. Ruby hugged two people tightly: one had her white hair finely groomed into a long ponytail, while the other let her long golden mane go free. Just as I thought, Yang was there, but I didn't expect Weiss to be there, too.

I was silent observing the scene. I didn't want to ruin the moment, although I also didn't know what to do or say. I felt a lump form in my throat that prevented me from looking for some way to make it known that I was there. For my good or bad luck, the door closed behind me, saving me the trouble of announcing my arrival.

Ruby was the first to notice me, giving me a great smile that I hadn't seen in a long time and which made me feel warm inside.

"Hey, Kai. Look what the crow brought us."

Yang and Weiss turned to me, their eyes widening at the sight of me. Neither of them said anything until Weiss lunged and hugged me tight.

"I was so worried about you," she whispered softly.

I returned the gesture, feeling her slim body in my arms.

"I'm sorry I didn't contact before. So much has happened that I haven't been able to-," I started to speak, feeling my voice crack as I kept my emotions at bay, until she cut me off by pressing her finger to my lips.

"You don't have to apologize. All I care about is that you're okay," she said with a soft smile.

Then my gaze focused on Yang, who was staring at me before walking slowly towards me with the arm prosthesis that had been sent to her, now painted yellow. I wasn't sure what would happen now. On the one hand, she would hug me and tell me how much she missed me, although she would also punch me in the face for leaving Patch.

Guess which one happened.

It was fast. I could only see a yellow blur before I felt the metal hitting my face and knocking me to the ground. The good news is that the tool seemed to work well, to the point that my cheek ached despite protecting me with my aura. Ruby yelled at her sister, but she didn't seem to hear her as she knelt down in front of me, grabbing me by the collar of my jacket and pulling me closer to her face.

"I'm really mad with you," she growled at me, raising her left arm for what I assumed was perhaps for another punch. It was then that she grabbed my neck and brought me closer to her, leaving my face covered in her golden hair and letting me feel its soft fragrance. "But I'm also glad you're okay."

Hearing her say that knocked down the wall inside me and I couldn't contain myself anymore. Despite what I had done to her sister and despite also leaving her, she still dedicated those words to me. I felt not worthy of that. I hugged her tightly, feeling her hair between my fingers, and between sobs I could only say one thing:

"Forgive me."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lunch was really lively, with everyone laughing as we shared stories and anecdotes from the time we were apart. Weiss revealed to us that he had finally mastered summoning skill, to the point of nearly ramming a trophy wife with summoning a boartusk, in addition to letting us know that she had lost her position as heir to the Schnee Dust Company (making me wish for a moment when I could punch Jacques in his Lorax mustache face).

Yang showed us off her new arm and put it to the test by arm-wrestling with Nora, although I don't know yet if ejecting the prosthesis meant that she won or was a draw.

For my part, I told them what happened in the supermarket and showed them the restored Requiem, who seemed to enjoy the attention.

We remember our time at Beacon, reflecting on the long road we have traveled and how much we matured over the course, and that was true. I still remembered when I only cared about taking down the Soul Reaper and how closed I was to others. Now I could fully trust my life to all those who were at that table.

It was a scene that was really familiar to me. It was like meeting again at Beacon's cafeteria after class and having a good time while chatting and fooling around. It was such a familiar feeling, but it wasn't the same, as there were two empty seats at the table and one would remain empty forever.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Once happy hour ended and we all had a stomach full of food, it was time for the hard part: catching up with Weiss and Yang. Like us, both girls were skeptical that Ozpin's soul was inside Oscar, but they accepted it a bit when we insisted that it was true until he verified it by doing his body-changing trick. To say that they were surprised was little to describe the expression they had. Once they recovered from the shock, we went into the living room to update them, although there was not much to talk about, as Raven, aka Bitch, had apparently already given them a summary of the situation.

The silence in the room was suffocating. Weiss looked uncomfortable, like she didn't know what to do to break the tension. Yang was just folding her arms, watching each of us as if she was going to force us to let go of everything we knew.

I looked at Qrow and gestured with my mouth, "Tell them."

The man rolled his eyes and was about to speak when Weiss spoke, "So, the maidens, magic salem ... it's all true?

"Uhuh!" Qrow replied.

"I'm afraid so. I had a close encounter when Cinder took over the powers of the previous Fall Maiden."

"Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin called out to Yang. "Is this more or less what your mother told you?"

Yang didn't reply, just staying silent with her arms still crossed, so Weiss answered for her, "For the most part"

"You forgot something," Yang finally spoke. "You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother!"

Such an accusation took me by surprise. Ozpin had done something wrong to Qrow and Raven?

"What is she talking about?" Jaune asked.

"Oh great," Qrow sputtered as if they had revealed an embarrassing anecdote from his youth.

"That's not a secret i thought she would give up so easily," Ozpin commented. "Your mother must trust you a great deal."

Yang gave him a contemptuous look at those words and I didn't blame her; despite only having met Aunt Raven once, it was only enough to know that she wasn't material for the Mother of the Year award.

"My ability to re-incarnate, though a curse isn't without a few key benefits," Ozpin began his explanation. "Much like the maidens, I too possess a certain magical power. Using this power, I was able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to see more, to move freely and be unburned by their natural bodies. I ... well .. . I gave them the ability to turn into birds. Rather ridiculous sounding out loud isn't it? "

I finally understood what it was all about. I knew in part about the ability of those two to change shapes, since Qrow had vaguely mentioned it to me in Patch.

"Uncle?" Ruby called out her uncle's name, dumbfounded.

"You turned them... into birds," Ren seemed reluctant to process that information.

"Alright, now you're just messing with us," Nora accused him.

"What else is new?" Jaune grumbled.

"He's telling the truth," Weiss interceded. "We saw it. Yang's mom… changed, right in front of us."

"I saw it too," I spoke, remembering that night in Shion. "When I fought her, there was a moment when I lost sight of her and could only hear a flap before she appeared on top of me and knocked me down. Qrow had told me about it, but seeing that in person was something else."

"Wait a minute, did you know that ?!" Yang chided me. My only reaction was to shrug my shoulders and wait for the sofa to swallow me. "Ok, we'll talk about that, but I don't understand it."

She turned to Ozpin, "Why would you do something like that? I mean, what is wrong with you?"

"Yang, that's enough," Qrow chimed in at his niece's anger.

"Granting this power to them was no trivial task, and I can assure you it was not done frivolously," Ozpin explained. "I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans, as well as searching for Maidens when their hosts became unclear."

"Okay, so, have you done this with others?" Ruby guessed. "Like General Ironwood? Or Professor Goodwitch?"

For a second I just pictured those two as birds. Goodwitch would possibly be an owl or peacock with glasses. My dad could be a hawk with a metallic wing, or maybe his human arm was still in shape despite the transformation.

"As helpful as that might be, unfortunately it is not that simple. My power is finite, and if I'm being honest, dwindling. The amount that I gifted to Qrow and Raven was, all things considered, rather miniscule. You see , centuries ago, I sacrificed a great deal of magic to four young women, who I hoped would use my gift for good. They were the first Maidens. That is why I was considering whether Kaiden should have the same ability. "

"Oh! What did you have in mind?" Nora asked intrigued. "A canary? A nightingale? A cockatoo?"

"I was thinking more about trying mammals. Maybe a fox."

I heard several chuckles from Ruby, Weiss, and Yang.

"What is so funny?" Jaune asked.

"Kaiden, what was the nickname your mom calls you?" Weiss asked a question that she knew very well what the answer was.

"My little fox," Ruby replied, pinching my cheek.

I could feel my face burning with embarrassment as I begged for the couch to rush in and swallow me in between its cushions while the others joined in my humiliation.

Once the laughter ended, Ozpin spoke up again.

"Miss Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you. There are just some matters that I prefer to… 'play close to the chest '. I believe that's how you phrased it? Kaiden knows what I'm talking about."

I nodded my head. I knew what he wanted to say. I still remembered how hard it was to keep the Soul Reaper secret, but I didn't want anyone else to be hurt because of me, although in the end that happened. The same when Ozpin made the great revelation to me, since I hated to keep my friends secret, but I did not want to involve them in it, but equally that was what happened and with devastating consequences.

"Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties, in favor of her own self-interest. Now, all of you have a choice. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There's no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat."

No one spoke, weighing the smallest opportunity to say 'You know what? Screw you, guys, I'm going home' and leave, but in the end no one opted for it. I wouldn't go so easily. Not after what I experienced. Not after what I saw. I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that I had the opportunity to do my part to avoid the end of the kingdoms and I just left it like that. No, I would stay and do whatever I could to avoid another Beacon.

"Very well, then," Ozpin seemed pleased with it until Yang stood up.

"Yang?" Ruby called her sister.

"If Ruby sticks around, then I will too. If there's one thing I know about her, it's that she somehow always knows the right thing to do," Yang said watching us all, "But, if we're going to help, if we're going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths. "

Those words reached me deeply, since there was something that I had not said to anyone. Not Qrow, not Ozpin, not Ruby. For a second I thought I was among the bodies of the bandit tribe while their camp was on fire. I was debating whether to say something until Jaune spoke.

"So... what now? I mean, what can we do?"

"Mm, that is a difficult question. One that I believe is best answered tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

"The road ahead is undoubtedly filled with hardships and peril," Ozpin said. "However, it's been far too long since you have all been together. Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment."

Just as Ozpin put his hand on Yang's shoulder, there was a change in his eyes and the expression changed to one of confusion before he realized that he was touching the stunning blonde, causing him to stumble backwards, earning a giggle from Weiss and Yang. Yes, Oscar was behind the wheel now.

"Oooooohh!" Nora suddenly exclaimed, her face showing as much amazement as if a treasure chest had been found at her feet. "Raven?! Qrow?! They're birds! Cracked it!"

I, along with several others, did this beautiful ritual in which we pressed our hands with our faces. In other words, facepalm.

Yang's words still echoed in my mind. What she asked for was fair. It was enough of secrets. I already knew that she had already lost her trust in me after what I had done and I didn't blame her. I no longer wanted to hide anything from them.

"I... I would like to say something," I felt a heaviness inside me that wanted to prevent me from speaking, but I fought against that. "Yang, you want there to be no secrets anymore and I respect that, since I hid things from you that the only thing they did was eat me up inside. First the Soul Reaper and then all this. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, at least now we're all in the same boat," Ruby said kindly to me.

I shook my head, watching her smile fade, "Actually, there is something. Something I have hidden and I have not told anyone."

Gazing at my hands, I could remember how they moved to command my semblance to kill every member of the bandit tribe. I could still hear their screams. The look in his eyes at the exact moment the light faded before he died. The smell of blood and smoke intermingled in a scent that returned in every nightmare. The moment I plunged into true darkness.

"Kaiden?"

Ruby's hand rested on mine and she held it tight. She looked at me with concern. I hated that he saw me like that; not because it bothered me, but because it saddened me to see her like this. I was afraid what her reaction would be if I told her. Also everyone's reaction. Would they look at me the same way as before? I didn't want to tell you, but Yang was right: no more secrets. I didn't know if someone from that clan had survived, but if the time came when someone wanted to take revenge and the others were unaware of it, I couldn't forgive myself if they were hurt again because of me.

"Ruby, I did something horrible."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was difficult to tell everyone what had happened. The boys looked at me between shock and fear, while Qrow seemed surprised by what I was saying.

The afternoon passed as everyone left behind the talk at the meeting, but I could still feel the furtive glances of everyone. Even though they told me everything was fine and they understood what I had to do, I could see in their eyes that the way they looked at me was different and I didn't blame them, since the person they once knew was now someone who had murdered an entire bandit tribe on his own. Yes, I regretted telling them, but I had to, since they would know sooner or later.

Leaving that aside, let's talk about how the organization of the rooms would be. Since Weiss and Yang would be using the room that Oscar and I used, we would now have to move in with Qrow, along with his snoring and the eternal uncertainty of when his bad luck would attack us.

It was difficult to tell everyone what had happened. The boys looked at me between shock and fear, while Qrow seemed surprised by what I was saying.

The afternoon passed as everyone left behind the talk at the meeting, but I could still feel the furtive glances of everyone. Even though they told me everything was fine and they understood what I had to do, I could see in their eyes that the way they looked at me was different and I didn't blame them, since the person they once knew was now someone who had murdered an entire bandit tribe on his own. Yes, I regretted telling them, but I had to, since they would know sooner or later.

Leaving that aside, let's talk about how the organization of the rooms would be. Since Weiss and Yang would be using the room that Oscar and I used, we would now have to move in with Qrow, along with his snoring and the eternal uncertainty of when his bad luck would attack us.

I dreamed of that night again. The bandits' cries of despair and death came back to haunt me as I continued to murder them one by one before another appeared and had the same fate. There came a time when the ground was covered with dismembered bodies crawling towards me, holding onto my legs and climbing on top of me. Just when my vision was overshadowed by the disfigured face of a woman, I woke up.

It was early morning with a pale blue light coming through the window. There was only Qrow's snoring in the room, which got maddening if you didn't fall asleep before what, so I dressed in light clothes and left the room in silence. The rest of the house was also silent, vaguely listening to the breathing of the other occupants of the rooms as I passed through the hallway.

I got to the training room and opened the sliding doors, letting in the cool of the morning and the light of the rising sun slowly bathing the place.

I started with some warm-up exercises, stretching each muscle to warm up and avoid any cramps, as well as the breathing exercises that Winter had taught me. Once ready, I started with push-ups, squats, and static jogging. Then I went on to my usual task of finding a simpler way to access the Overdrive, but in the end each attempt ended in disaster when I tried to hold a steady breath and use the ability, as if all of a sudden air was letting out of a balloon before to tie a knot. With each failure my frustration grew more and more. The answer was getting closer, but at the same time it was out of my reach. A piece was missing but I didn't know what it was or how it fit with what I had so far.

"Damn!" I cursed at another failed attempt.

"All good?" someone said.

Yang was sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, wearing her yellow top and black shorts. Apparently she had barely just woken up, as her hair was tousled in its usual morning mess.

"Hey, Yang," I greeted the blonde, wiping sweat from a towel. "How long have you been there?"

"Let's see... I woke up, I went to the bathroom, I saw you going down when I came out and I've been watching you for the last 15 minutes. So ... all the time. So, can you use the Overdrive whenever you want?"

"Sigh, yes and no. I must hold my breath, but it becomes difficult to do when I must be moving. I have tried other ways to do it, but nothing so far. The amount of power that I gain is really difficult to control."

"That has never stopped you," Yang said walking towards me. "I've seen you do some really amazing and crazy things. It's only a matter of time before you think of something. Don't let that thing of the bandits bother you. You had to do what you to do"

"Thank you, Yang."

The girl gave me a kind smile and the she raised both hands defensively, "How about you show me how strong you have become in this time?"

I got into position and landed a quick punch, which was easily caught by her metal hand.

"Faster."

I landed another blow with the other hand, this being rejected without complications.

"I said faster."

I increased the speed of my attacks that were also blocked before she countered without warning. I was barely able to dodge it by stepping aside and responded with a kick to the torso. Yang grabbed my leg and threw me into the air before landing on my feet.

"This is how it will be then."

Yang shrugged, "If by that you mean you'll make it so easy for me, then yes."

**[Play "Throw It On Me", Timbaland, The Hives]**

I rushed at her with a strike that she responded by taking my arm and making me a judo brace to whip me against the tatami. I bounced off the ground, but rolled to the side in time to dodge a stomp and pushed myself up with my arms to launch a kick. Yang used her forearm to block, which I used to propel myself and gain distance from her.

It was then that I saw it. A look that I thought was lost in the ruins of Beacon. Those lilac eyes, once dull after losing an arm to Adam Taurus, began to burn with that flame wanting a challenge. A flame that I thought was extinct. Now my only wish was to rage that fire and make it burn more.

We both went on the attack. We exchange punches and kicks nonstop. On each inhalation I would set up an hit and with each exhale I would execute it. That breath became a sequence that became part of me. I could feel the aura speeding through me. I could feel it. Little by little the pieces were being arranged. Just a little more.

My body was being covered with my dark aura that began to burn like a soft flame. Between blows I could see Yang's gaze, which, instead of being surprised by the state he was reaching, was now looking at me with pride.

But that couldn't last, as seeing Yang leap up for another hit, I had a deja vu and my mind went back to that night. I could see again the moment when she came to the burning cafeteria only to see her attacking Adam, only for him to chop off her arm. That alone thought was enough to lose the flow of the combat, receiving a strong punch to the face that threw me to the ground. That energy I once had faded and my protection with it, so the hit hurt more than usual.

**[Song ends]**

I must have been down longer than expected since Yang was helping me sit up.

"Kai, are you okay?"

"Yes, I think so," I said, rubbing my cheek. "I think I couldn't control it well in the end."

"Nonsense, I could see you had everything under control. I could feel your strength suddenly increase. What happened?"

I was silent. Even closing his eyes he could see the scene over and over again.

"Kaiden, what did we say about keeping secrets?"

Breathe deeply.

"I saw you the night Beacon attacked. Taurus had Blake subdued and you were rushing to save her. I could only see how he..." I choked out my words.

"Him cutting off my arm," Yang finished my sentence, looking down at her prosthesis. She then gazed at the horizon beyond the mountain, "To be honest, I see the same thing on several nights. That was what kept me in bed all day. I think I started getting up to help Dad around the house when Ruby left."

Hearing that was like feeling a stone on the head. I remembered that my departure from Patch hadn't just affected Ruby.

"Yang, I'm sorry," I muttered, crestfallen. "If it hadn't been for me, Ruby wouldn't have left."

Yang put his hand on my hair and stroked it gently, "She would have gone out into the world sooner or later, either with or without you. The important thing is that you are both okay."

"I'm also glad you are."

"Of course I am. The arm you ordered for me was wonderful," the girl raised her robotic arm, letting the sun's rays reflect off the yellow painted metal surface.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I pretended not to know the meaning of her words. I didn't feel entitled to take the credit.

"I'm not stupid. I heard from Port that you went to Atlas and that the arm has the same functions as my gauntlets, plus there is a coincidence that you have backup of Ember Celica's schematics in case something happens."

I said nothing. She had caught me with it.

"I just wanted to help you get back on your feet. If you knew I was the one sending it, I thought you would either throw it away or give it to Zwei to be his new chew toy."

"Hey, maybe I was mad at you, but not enough to throw away an exquisite piece of Atlas technology." Yang thought for a second, "I was really mad at you though. You went away and hurt Ruy. And I didn't know how to help her in my state, so part of the fault is mine."

"But at least you were there with her."

"Yeah, I didn't do anything about it though. But at least she's fine and smiling. I imagine you guys are together again."

"Not exactly. We're... taking a break. At least until we resolve the thing about attack on Haven."

"I see, and that's okay. You guys have been through a lot and you want to take it easy."

"Partly that. I still feel guilty for leaving her, as much as she forgives me. I feel like I don't deserve that."

"You just wanted to protect her, didn't you? No longer torment yourself about that. You can put it behind me once all this avoiding the attack is over and you settle your issues. Besides, maybe this would be a good time to do something that I have kept to myself. "

"Yeah? Like what?"

Before I could react, Yang lunged for me, laying me down on the tatami, with her riding on top of me. Her long golden hair fell to the side of her face so that I could see her soft neck in the morning light.

"Y-Yang?" I hesitated feeling my heart beating rapidly.

"Shhh shhh shhh," she silenced me, bringing her face close to mine. "Just shut up."

The next thing I knew, she was pressing her lips against mine. It was something totally different from what I expected. While Ruby felt soft and sweet, I could describe Yang rather as wild and hot. Her tongue sought mine like Nora trying to get the last drop of honey out of the bottle. I felt in a trance where I was only carried away by the burning sensation of her skin. By the time I regained my senses, Yang had returned to her place and was licking her lips.

"I have to admit I've been wanting to do it for a while now," she said. "Ruby had told me about it but I wanted to see for myself."

"I'm glad I was of help," I replied with a goofy smile on my face. "But is this okay?"

"You said it yourself: you are on a break, so there are certain freedoms that can be given. Trust me, I have experience with it."

For a moment I imagined Ruby following the same logic. Maybe kissing Jaune, Ren, or, hell, Nora. The first one made me a little angry. The second seemed unlikely to me. The third one turned me on a bit.

I shook the thought from my mind.

"Oy, Yang. Are you okay with what we're going to do? Go to your mother's camp and get the Spring Maiden back? Maybe we have to face her."

"Honestly, I don't care about her anymore. As far as I'm concerned, Summer was my mother, not her. So don't worry. Everything will work out with the whole gang here."

"Not all of us," I objected. I could hear an annoyed exhalation from Yang.

"She could have been with us if she had stayed, but she left at the first opportunity. She didn't even say goodbye."

"She wanted to protect us from Adam. When I fought him, he said things to me that gave me the creeps. That guy just wanted Blake by his side, no matter who he hurt or killed."

"So she must have trusted us to take care of each other."

"Just like I should have done instead of leaving Patch to go to Atlas?"

"But at least you are here with us."

"And how do you know that Blake isn't looking for us? I'm not arguing that she left, but at least consider why she did it."

After everything we've been through, she wouldn't just walk away without good reason.

Yang looked at me with a frown, he seemed about to argue that, but gave up.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it. We had a good time and I don't want that to be ruined by it. Do you want some coffee? I'll go make it so it's ready when the others wake up."

I studied his behavior and was saddened to realize that this was his way of avoiding the subject. Just leave, which is exactly why she accused Blake.

"I'll catch up with you in a moment."

"Ok. And if you want another kiss, just ask," Yang hinted at me with a wink before heading up the stairs.

In the silence that followed, I couldn't help but feel bad for my friend. For as long as I can remember, she and Blake had been inseparable since they teamed up at the Initiation. I thought it would not work as they are totally opposite poles, but I was wrong. Yang pushed Blake to be more open about how she felt, just as Blake had gotten Yang into reading (even though some were BL books). I also understood the blonde's pain when she realized that the cat girl had gone without us to who knows where, as well as I understood the reason that led her to this, but making Yang listen to reasons was somewhat more complicated. We'd be working little by little in time, though.

For now I just looked at the sky that was brightening into a new day, hoping that Blake was okay and seeing the same thing as me.


	13. Worst case scenario

Chapter 13: Worst case scenario

-o-

Things in the house remained the same the following days. The workouts continued the same, although now Oscar had to survive Yang's barbaric exercise routine (never before has he been so close to moving on to his next life as now) while Ruby and him took a little more experience fighting without weapons. Even the latter showed great improvement in combat as our fights unfolded and the boy no longer had to turn to Ozpin for help. Qrow, for his part, was no longer successful in getting more allies from his list, which already had all the names crossed out, with Yang and Weiss the only successes at the end.

By then we hadn't heard from Lionheart about the operation to recover the Spring Maiden, so there was some expectation about when it would take place and then get ready for the attack on Mistral.

It was one afternoon when I had to wash the dishes after dinner. The pile of glasses, plates and pots were stacked up to one side of the sink in a titanic task that awaited me; although I think that was what I was telling myself to make it more interesting. That was already something I used to do when I lived in Aztlan or during my time in Patch.

I was already carrying some dishes when Weiss came to my side and fixed the sleeves of her dress.

"I'll take care of drying and tidying the dishes."

"I can't believe it. Weiss Schnee is going to wash the dishes. Call the press."

"Hey, do you want me to help you or not?"

"Ok, start with the ones I left to dry."

The task became more bearable with Weiss helping me and I honestly underestimated her as I thought she would end up breaking a plate or glass; which didn't happen.

"So how's everything going? Have you acclimatized to Mistral yet?"

"All good so far. It's good to be with everyone, although I still haven't gotten used to Professor Ozpin speaking through Oscar."

"Believe me, I still have a little trouble getting used to. And how are you doing with the maidens and the rest?"

"If you take into account what is normal for us, like Grimm, semblances and dust, one can believe that magic does not exist, but there is Professor Ozpin assuring the opposite and you who fought against Cinder, who has the powers of the Fall Maiden. I think I trust your words until I confirm it myself. "

"I hope you don't experience it first hand," I replied. "The power that Cinder had was something totally in any semblance I've ever seen."

"We will deal with her in due course. Together."

"And this time I won't lose anyone," I said to myself.

"What did you say?"

"I said watch out for the glasses," I cursed myself for talking too much. "I had to fight two Karens before I bought them."

"Didn't you say those were broken?"

"Yeah, but I don't feel like going to the store again and buying another pack."

We both laughed and went on with our work. It was good to have Weiss with us, and more so after what had happened. I still couldn't believe Jacques would take the title of heir from her and give it to Whitley. I felt partly responsible, since I had left her alone at the hands of this man, except for Klein, who had helped her escape from Atlas. Great, like my conscience didn't have enough to deal with.

"All good?" Weiss called out to me, making me put my thoughts aside.

"Yes, great."

Weiss watched me closely, "It's just that you've been lathering that dish for the last minute."

"You never know how dirty something is until you have to wash it," I made up the best excuse I could think of and laughed nervously, but that didn't seem to satisfy the girl.

"Kaiden, I know something is bothering you and we made a promise of no more secrets. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

I took a deep breath and took the pot that followed.

"Several months ago, before I left Atlas, I had a talk with your father."

"Uh uh. That's never good."

"And it was not. He knows that Ironwood is my father and so he made a proposal: he offered me your hand in marriage."

"What?!" she exclaimed in scandal, dropping the plate she was drying; which I managed to catch with my semblance. "I'm sorry, but you mustn't be serious."

"I wish. He told me that he cared about your sanity and that you seemed calm when I was around. Bullshit. He only wanted someone to be his watchdog over you. But if I had stayed maybe I would have helped you and he wouldn't have taken the title from you. "

"Very well, listen to me carefully," Weiss ordered me, putting the plate down, taking my face in her delicate hands and making me look directly into her blue eyes. "You are not to blame for anything, since you had a mission to accomplish. Besides, I've always known that my father wanted some excuse to do it and pass it on to someone more malleable, like my brother."

"And what will you do about it?"

"When I left Atlas, I was just thinking about getting to Mistral and finding Winter to maybe join the army like her. But then I found out that Atlas had called all its troops back and I ran into Yang before we met with you now. I'll help any way I can to fight Salem and keep the world safe. I'll find out the rest along the way. "

"I still remember the Weiss who just wanted to become the ultimate hunter and just wanted to be perfect."

"People change. They mature and realize that there are more important things, like you."

"Like me?"

"When I first met you, you wanted to do everything on your own and you didn't trust others much. Before I knew it, you were already dating Ruby and changed for the better."

"Yeah, though I screwed up with that last one."

"Don't be harsh on yourself. Ruby already told me what term you two are on. Once things settle down, you guys can better discuss it."

"I hope so. Hey, and how is Yang?"

"Why?"

"Because I spoke to her a few days ago and I sensed that she still resents about Blake leaving."

"I know, I talked to her about that. Yeah, she's still upset with Blake. She feels betrayed that she left, but I know she wouldn't have if she didn't have a choice. The only thing left for us to do is hope that she comes back one day and welcome her with open arms. "

"It's true. She just wanted to protect us from Adam and I understand her reasons for leaving, since I did the same for the same thing."

"Now you're not alone," Weiss consoled me. "We can face whatever is in front of us if we are united."

"Thank you, Weiss."

I dipped a finger into the foam in the sink and booped the girl's nose, leaving a white dot on the tip.

"Hey!" she complained before taking a lot of bubbles in her hands and throwing it on my hair.

"Hey guys. I have good news!" Ruby announced entering the kitchen before stopping. "What's going on here?"

By the time she arrived, Weiss had left a foam mohawk on my head while I had formed horns on hers.

"Nothing!" we both said in unison as the foam dripped off our heads.

"Well, Uncle Qrow got a call from Professor Lionheart. He says that we will meet tomorrow night with a group that will help us infiltrate the bandit base."

While Ruby and Weiss were fascinated by the idea, something made me uneasy. Lionheart finally gave hints of wanting to help us after the attitude that the man showed in our meeting. Call me pessimist, but it was too good to be true.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As expected, Qrow and Oscar (with Ozpin at his controls) were in the room. As soon as Ruby and Weiss left to break the good news to the rest, I turned to them for more information.

"So is Lionheart finally going to help us?"

"I got a call from him a few minutes ago. He says he will meet us tomorrow night."

I watched Qrow. Some of what he was saying seemed to be half-done.

"So is it true that there is already a group that will help us enter the camp?"

"That... is something I made up to worry Ruby. Leo rather just told me that it was something of the utmost importance to the Council and that he had to see us."

"If it was that important, he would ask us to go now and not until tomorrow."

"Exactly," Ozpin agreed. "Leonardo's attitude has surprised me. The way he has been doing everything is totally different from what was agreed in case of my absence."

"Should we still assume that he is still compromised?"

"I'm afraid so," Oz nodded, "as hard as I can say."

"Then we will still go, not knowing what will happen."

"We don't have a choice," Qrow replied. "He indicated that it was important that we all go."

The situation was complicated. Lionheart was finally calling us after this time and Ozpin didn't quite trust him. If the worst of all situations happened, whether there was an enemy attack or Lionheart would actually betray us, then we would be in a bind.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The night passed very slowly in my opinion, with the wait for the aforementioned meeting approaching with every second that passed. I was barely able to sleep only to end up waking up very early in the morning. The rest of the day was spent in tension. Some prepared their weapons at Qrow's instructions, arguing that it was to make a good impression on those present at the meeting, although rather it was in case of having to go into combat.

The meeting was 30 minutes away when I met with Qrow again. To make sure everything was okay, I would go ahead and go to the academy before everyone else to make sure everything was clear. Should I find anything suspicious, I would contact Qrow and withdraw. If others asked about my absence, the man would argue that Lionheart had asked me to review some files on the computer before the meeting.

"Remember: you have 30 minutes to arrive, explore the ground, and then report back before meeting at the main building. If you see something, call me. Don't take action alone."

"And how come you don't do the recon? It would be easier if you go in bird form."

"Leo will be watching the cameras. If there is a group of boys in the entrance without me, that will put him on alert. Of all of us, you are the most suitable for stealth."

"Another reason to miss Blake," I said to myself.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

There weren't many people on the street when I walked out the door and the cool of the night hit me in the face.

The trip to Haven took about 10 minutes taking the fastest route over the buildings and using my gauntlets to reach the upper levels. Instead of entering the main entrance, I circled the walls of the academy and jumped through the area where there was no camera that could detect me. Once inside, I put on my mask and hood to blend into the shadows easier.

Once again I was glad I had my lenses repaired when the world went green from night vision. I moved between the buildings quickly, paying attention to any sounds that might be suspicious and any cameras that I had to avoid. There was no news around the entrance area, so the rest would have no problem when he arrived. I advanced through the facilities until I reached the central plaza that led to the main building where we would meet Lionheart.

It was then that I could see some movement around the CCT tower. I approached cautiously until I had a good view of what was happening. I had to hold my breath as I saw a group wiring up the rear of the structure, recognizing the uniforms and masks they were wearing.

The White Fang.

Several uniformed faunus were moving segments of cables and boxes inside the tower to the base. They wanted to do the same as in Beacon: destroy the only means of communication in the kingdom.

It was still too early for the attack, according to what Ozpin had predicted. Lionheart had any idea what was going on?

I was about to take my scroll to take a photo and alert Qrow when a voice spoke behind me:

"Who's there?"

There was Lionheart, with a huge shield on his left arm. The man was staring at me with the tool pointed at me. I couldn't just leave there and put him on alert. The best thing was to do time before the others arrived.

"Professor Lionheart, it's me, Kaiden Noir," I tried to calm him by removing my mask and hanging it on my belt. "I had a suspicion that something was going on at the academy and I came before the others. Sir, I just saw the White Fang planting explosives in the CCt tower. It's the same thing that was done in Beacon and they have to be stopped."

I said all this to gauge his reaction and find out how much he knew about this.

His eyes widened in surprise and he gasped before saying:

"You saw them?"

He knew it. The suspicion was correct. Leonardo Lionheart was a traitor and the meeting was a trap. I had to get out of there and tell Qrow but leaving would alert Lionheart, so I could subdue him sooner. However, I was unaware of the academy's rector's abilities, leaving me with no options but to escape.

It all happened so fast. My legs moved as fast as they could to get out of there, but suddenly my body tensed as I felt the electricity coursing through me and I fell heavily to the ground. I could hear Lionheart moving closer until I saw him in front of me.

"Why?" I gasp as I struggle to get up.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing he said before launching another electric shock at me before I was knocked unconscious.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

My mind felt like it was turning on at times. For a moment I could see how they dragged me across the pavement. I felt like they sat me on a chair and tied my hands and legs.

"We have Noir, my lady," I thought I heard Lionheart speak to someone.

"Good," a woman spoke. I had heard that voice before, but my mind was not clear enough to recognize it. "With that I will have the absolute loyalty of Ragna. Now only the relic and Ruby Rose are missing for my plans to move forward."

"Understood. I'll make sure everything goes according to plan tonight. I won't let you down."

"That is not an option, Leonardo."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

My head was pounding when I woke up. When my eyes stopped seeing dark spots, I was able to take a look at my surroundings. Everything was dark and I couldn't move as well as my hands, so I couldn't use my semblance and I couldn't turn to smoke if I was immobile.

Even if I could use my abilities, I wouldn't know where to direct them if I didn't know where the hell I was.

How long had I been unconscious? Had the guysl arrived? My heart began to pound desperately at the thought that Ruby and the others were walking into a trap.

I struggled against my bonds but to no avail. Then I noticed something, I didn't feel Requiem by my side, so I closed my eyes and concentrated on making contact with my sword. I could feel it to my right a few meters away.

'Req?'

'Kaiden ?! At last! I've been trying to make you react while Lionheart tied you to that chair and talked to the black balloon. I could hurt the faunus when it took me, but I couldn't do anything when that thing took me. '

'What black balloon? Forget this. I need you to cut off my bonds. '

"Call me. I'll try to do what I can."

I spread my hand as best I could and focused on having my sword. Something moved and the chair jerked violently as something hit my right. It didn't look like any tethers were being cut but the armrest seemed to have come loose. I began to move my arm from side to side, applying force to break the wood. I was successful listening to the wood give way and feeling my arm being released before using it to break the rest of my bonds.

Once free, I wandered around the place until I hit a wall. It was a small room, barely bigger than a janitor's room, that kept garden supplies from what I could guess after touching a sack of what I hoped was land. It took a few minutes until reaching a corner was my cape, gauntlets ,mask and Samaritan, which I grabbed and put on without wasting time before knocking down the only door in the room.

I checked the time on my scroll and saw that the others must have already reached the building, so I went to the nearest window to jump to the nearest building and rush to get to them and warn them of the betrayal.

When I got to the square, I had to debate whether to go my way or deal with the White Fang. The decision was difficult, but I had no choice but to go ahead and let the others know. That way we could organize ourselves better and have a better chance of avoiding the demolition of the tower, so I ran as fast as I could until I reached the main doors and opened them wide.

The first thing I saw was Ruby being hit by a fireball and thrown backward at me, so I rushed over to her.

"Ruby, are you okay?"

"Yes, but Lionheart is with Raven."

I directed my gaze to the center of the room. Lionheart was in at top of some stairs that descended on the sides and, at the bottom, was the worst aunt I could have (besides my Aunt Beatriz). To one side of the woman, was a portal from which several figures emerged.

"Hello, boys and girls," my blood boiled when I heard that voice. The same one I heard that night in Beacon when Penny was cut off, the same one from that tower when Pyrrha died, and the same one that gave me power the day I regained my memories.

"Cinder," Ruby said hatefully, a feeling I shared.

The woman was different from that night. Her dark hair had been trimmed and the left side of her face was covered by a mask. However, a bitch is a bitch no matter what she wears.

Behind her came the girl who was with Raven and possible Spring Maiden, Vernal, along with Mercury, Emerald, and Ragna. The latter had not changed much, with his red hair tied in a ponytail and revealing a scar that crossed from the right side of his chin to the left cheek.

"Lionheart, you bastard!" I yelled at the faunus. "All this time it was you! You took them to Beacon."

"C'mon guys, is that any way to greet your old friends?" Mercury scoffed.

Yang was about to pounce on the jerk, but Qrow stopped her, "Everybody, stay calm."

"Qrow, the White Fang is here. They want to demolish the communications tower."

The man turned to the faunus, "Leo, seriously, what did you do?"

The doors were opened again and heavy footsteps were heard. A large man dressed in a green suit came in and closed the doors behind him.

"The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds," the man reported. Then he looked at me, "We don't want any more snoopers around. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."

The situation was getting worse every moment. We already had the idea that Lionheart had possibly betrayed us, but we didn't contemplate that he'd be with Raven, who, at the same time, would be in league with Salem. And if that wasn't enough, the White Fang was out to cut off communications across the continent.

"This was all just a trap?" Weiss summed up the situation better than I did.

"It appears so…," Ren agreed with her.

"Raven, tell me…," Qrow angrily called out to his sister. "How long have you been with them?"

"Aww, don't take it personally, little bird," Cinder replied. "Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand... Well, Kaiden is right. Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat, but Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, Professor? "

"Stop it," the faunus objected, as if those words had hit the mark.

"It was you… You sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her," Qrow accused him. "I couldn't find any of them, because you let her kill them!"

"Aw now, don't beat yourself up about it, Lionheart," Cinder spoke condescendingly. "I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel would've found them on their own eventually."

It was then that the woman's eyes fell on me, "Kaiden, I'm glad you're still alive. Every night I remember our last moments, like our kiss or when I killed your little friend."

"Shut your mouth," I roared. "You will pay dearly for everything you have done."

She laughed, "Of course not. I'm just getting started."

"What is wrong with you?" Jaune spoke, glaring at her. "How can you be so broken inside… To take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of ?! "

On the one hand I wanted to calm him down, but he had also been hurt. They had taken someone he loved from him. That guided him. That took care of him and taught him to fight. I understood it well. He knew what that pain was like and having to face the cause of it.

"All with that damn smile on your face!" my friend exploded with tears emanating from his eyes. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me? Well ?! Say something!"

Cinder remained silent, as if she only saw a child throwing a tantrum. Then she said a single sentence:

"Who are you again?"

At these words, Jaune drew his heavy sword and lunged towards her.

"Jaune!" I called out to him, prepared to tug at it with my gauntlet cord, when I detected movement toward me. I quickly drew Requiem in time to block Ragna, who was brandishing a scimitar.

"Hi Kaiden. I see you fixed your eye."

"Stand aside, Ragna."

"Of course not. We have something pending: your death."

Our swords collided again, the sound of metal echoing in my ears before blocking another attack.

"Nice sword you have there. Too bad what happened to the other one."

"Take a good look, Ragna, as this is Requiem. Repaired by Muramasa himself, your grandfather."

"Impossible. He is dead."

"You don't believe me? Look," I showed the base of my sword's edge, where the blacksmith's mark was. "He also left me a message for you: Leave your anger behind."

Ragna was stunned. I saw him stagger a bit before regaining his composure, "Even after he died, he still haunts me. I can't have a moment of rest without having to bear his damn memory. He just talked and talked, but never did anything else. He never taught me how to fight. He never taught me how to forge a weapon. He only treated me like his slave. That's why I killed him but now I really have to do the same with you to be free. "

His attacks resumed, now stronger and fiercer than before. Neither of us gave ground no matter how many times our metals collided. I only saw hatred in his eyes, blinding him from anything else.

The place was in chaos. Only clashing swords and gunshots could be heard. They were all in their fight. I could barely see what was happening and the situation with the others, but there was something that caught my attention.

I could see Jaune rushing towards Cinder, clinging to his sword in anger. I had to help him. She was going to be too much for him to contain, but Ragna didn't give me room to do something.

"Noooo!" I heard Ruby scream. Then it happened.

It was a blinding light that illuminated everything. I've seen it before. It was the same one I saw atop Beacon's crumbling CCT tower after Pyrrha died. By the time I could see, I felt my heart stop at the sight of Ruby on the ground.

"That light..." Ragna said angrily. "That damn light!"

He lunged for Ruby, but I got in the way.

"Stay away from her," I ordered.

"Because of her I have this," he pointed to the scar.

"And because of you I have mine, so we are the same."

Something changed in Ragna, as his attacks became more erratic and savage, as if he stopped fighting as a human and was only looking for bloodlust.

"She must not exist. She is an abomination!"

"Don't talk about her like that!" I roared, releasing the aura concentrated on my edge, lifting Ragna off the ground and throwing him through a wall.

I used that moment to head towards Ruby and I took Emerald away from Ruby. She was unconscious, but unharmed, so it was a relief to me. However, I was alarmed to see Jaune also knocked down, struggling to reach his sword while Cinder held him down. Without making much effort, she simply kicked him aside before raising her hand, from which a flame-born spear appears. With all the ease in the world she started walking towards Weiss, who was on the ground in her fight against Vernal.

The malicious smile on Cinder's face made me shudder. It was happening again. The same memory that haunted me for months. The moment I lost Pyrrha.

"Nooo!" Jaune screamed.

I had to stop her. Drawing Samaritan was going to take a long time, so I would have to use whatever I had on hand. My body moved on its own, throwing Requiem out to stop Cinder from doing the same. But I was very slow, by the time the blade hit the girl on her arm, the spear had already left her hand and then pierced Weiss from behind.

The room was silent, as if all the opponents paused their confrontations to observe the life that was fading in that instant.

Weiss could only watch the spear that sprouted from his abdomen with her shaking hand without knowing how to react. She didn't even make a sound, just stood still until the weapon went up in flames and she collapsed.

I could only watch helplessly as Jaune ran towards her while I held Ruby in my trembling hands.

Terror invaded me. The feeling was the same as before. The same helplessness. The same feeling of frustration. History repeated itself in the same despair.

Oscar was the first to get to me before Nora.

"Take care of Ruby," I asked them as I carefully set the girl down before running to Weiss's aid.

I quickly took off my cloak and tied it around her waist to stop the bleeding, but she had to be carried to safety.

"Weiss, please wake up," I begged her, seeing the color leave her face. "Don't leave me. Not you."

My pleas fell on deaf ears. Her breathing became weak and her pulse weakened. There wasn't much time and I didn't know what to do.

Many things happened but I didn't pay attention to them. I heard the big man roaring Ozpin's name and Cinder giving orders to Lionheart. That no longer mattered to me as I pulled hydrogen peroxide, gauze, and bandage out of my pocket to treat Weiss's wound. The fact that she didn't even complain when I applied the liquid made me shudder. Ren helped me when my hands were shaking more than allowed to apply first aid, tying my cape again to apply pressure to the wound again and hope that the bleeding lessened a bit.

"This is bad," Ren said next to me.

"No, no, no, no, not again!" Jaune exclaimed desperately. "Weiss, c'mon, please!"

"Make sure they leave Ruby alive," I heard Cinder say. "Once I return with the relic, we will take her with us."

There was something about the woman's tone of voice that made me sick. Maybe it was with the ease with which she spoke, not caring in any way that she just impaled my friend. Maybe it was because I hated her before that. That didn't matter anymore with my sanity snapping like a taut thread.

"You won't," I spoke, standing up and walking over to Cinder, unarmed.

Lionheart, Raven, Vernal, Emerald, and Cinder all turned to me.

"You're still here," she replied nonchalantly. "Where the hell is Ragna?"

"You won't take anyone else from me, your one-eyed bitch. Do you know why?"

"And don't know and don't care," she replied to me with annoyance.

The power that ran through my body was so familiar. I had felt it before. My mouth and nose were hungry for the fragrance of blood. My ears began to hear the screams of those I killed. Each limb was covering a dark aura that began to burn incandescently. So much power that it was accompanied by a thirst for blood that could only be quenched with the death of a single person.

I stare at Cinder and reply with a twisted smile, "Because I'm going to kill you. Do you hear me? I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, CINDER!"


	14. Rise of Darkness

**Para ****MaeseJaime95, espero que este capitulo sea de tu agrado :D**

* * *

Chapter 14: Rise of Darkness

-o-

_"Alright, let's go over the explanation," Alice announced. "How do emotions influence aura?"_

_"They get to affect in various ways," I replied. "If an emotion is too strong, like anger, it can increase a huntsman's power but it can also make it be out of control."_

_"Exactly," Alice affirmed underlining the word CONTROL on the board. "The control of emotions is essential to control the user's ability. As you said, a strong emotion can enhance the aura but also get it out of control if it is not regulated, as well as mental states, such as depression or sadness, can compromise the effectiveness of the protection."_

_"But I don't understand. Why am I seeing all of this if you still haven't unlocked my aura?"_

_"You have to learn about this beforehand before going to practice. You have to be ready for any eventuality. We don't know when your semblance will manifest as you release your aura."_

_"Even if that happens, what if I can't control it? What if I hurt you by accident?"_

_Alice walked over to me, bending down so that her dark eyes were the same as mine, and she gave me an utterly confident smile as she stroked my head._

_"Don't worry. If something happens, I'll be there to guide you."_

_"You promise?"_

_"I promise."_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

This power was invigorating. I felt that every inch of my being was on fire with the energy that ran through my veins. It was so similar to when I used the Overdrive against the Soul Reaper, but the fire burned more savage than then, as if every second I became a monster but that didn't matter to me. Sometimes one monster became necessary to kill another; in this case Cinder.

My vision had turned red from the bloodlust consuming me. I didn't care about the nuisance watching me dumbfounded, I just wanted to kill the fake Fall Maiden and watch the light go out of her eye while I did it.

My legs moved on their own, driven by the killer instinct that dominated my mind. I could feel the hardwood floor crunching under my foot before traversing the distance that separated us in seconds.

Vernal rushed to me while Raven warned her not to. With a quick step I stepped aside to evade her, launching her upward with a strong kick and jumping after her. I was hoping that she would do something interesting, since, according to Yang, Vernal was the Spring Maiden and I believed that when I remembered that night in Shion, but she did nothing. With a heavy hit I sent her back to the ground, but her fall was interrupted when Raven opened a portal that led her towards her and which closed before I could do the same.

"You're good?" Raven asked the girl.

"I think so..." she exhaled, pained.

Raven carefully set her aside and drew her katana and darted toward me. A slice hit me, cutting my leg from which I could feel my blood spill before the accelerated healing factor kicked in, closing the wound. For some reason I liked that, making my anger rise more. I didn't care about the cuts as I caught the edge of the katana with my hand wrapped in fiery darkness and caught the fist that she launched straight to my face, earning me a kick to the chin that stunned me for a second that she used to disappear from my sight.

I was silent. My ear was sharpened to find a particular sound and I found it: The sound of wings flapping. I quickly leapt to the side in time to avoid Raven falling right where I was, her katana digging into the ground. A huge shadow surrounded her like a pool of tar that began to subdue her with several tendrils that clung to her body. Before I knew it, she turned bird again and drifted away from me, landing close to Vernal and keeping her distance from me.

My gaze fell back on Cinder, who was looking at me with a look that made me feel a pleasure that shook me. She was scared. I could see it in her eyes. The same person who caused the downfall of Beacon, murdered Penny and Pyrrha, and who had thrown that spear at Weiss was trembling before my power. How ironic that the same person who had taken all that away from me now looked at me with fear.

Before taking a step towards her, a wall grew from the ground around me, enclosing me in a well from which I could not see the exit above. That strange feeling of dizziness and the buzzing in my head returned, making me understand it was an illusion from Emerald. I didn't think about it and rammed the wall, only to go through it like mist and find myself face to face with the green haired girl before I grabbed her by the face and slammed her to the ground, with her arms flailing like worms when I saw one move to one of her pistols. I quickly caught her by the forearm and squeezed her hard until I saw the girl's aura dissipate and felt her bone creaking. A scream of pain rang out, making me feel more invigorated.

I saw the one-eyed bitch again. She wasn't moving at all, even though I had just broken her comrade's arm. That made me feel bored, so I threw the girl away like the trash she was while still crying down her arm.

"EMERALD!" someone shouted.

Mercury was already joining the fray until I turned to him. He stopped suddenly, looking me straight in the eye and his gaze turned like Cinder's, hesitating between attacking me or not and that made me lose interest. Cinder hadn't lost sight of me, her hands making two swords appear from flames. I was about to go against her when heavy footsteps approached me.

The muscular man from earlier threw a heavy punch at me that I could barely block with my dark-covered hands. His arms were embedded with several crystals of electric dust, so I quickly took my distance before a shock could reach me. I ran towards him, avoiding the attacks by a short distance, until I reached his torso. Seeing that the man's body was like that of an oak, I quickly threw a punch to the ground to move a large shadow that slipped under him and a dark pillar emerged with great force, hitting him hard and throwing him through the air.

Something moved out of the corner of my eye before I felt something hitting my side accompanied by a current of air that made it fly several meters before falling to a crouch. Ragna was back and carrying a silver war hammer.

"Where were you?" Cinder scolded him.

"I went through a wall, fell down some stairs and dislocated my shoulder. You must try it one day," Ragna replied sarcastically. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know, he just went crazy. You wanted your end of the deal? There you have it. Do whatever you want with him while I take the relic."

"With pleasure."

Seeing Ragna, I felt my killer instinct now take hold of him, leaving Cinder in the background for the moment. He betrayed us. He took my eye off me. He stabbed me. He was about to cut my neck before Ruby arrived. I considered him my friend and he spat on it because a childhood tantrum. He no longer had forgiveness and deserved to die.

I pounce on him, like a wolf on its prey, but he responds by waving the mallet that threw me a gale that almost sent me through the air if I didn't cling to the ground. I was barely able to protect myself in time to block one onslaught after another as I did the same towards him with my arms covered in darkness that now looked like claws. My anger grew more and more every second that I failed to subdue Ragna. He seemed to take advantage of every move I made and then respond with another blow.

An upward blow from the mallet took me by surprise, hitting me in the chest and sending me through the air in a gale until I went through a wall and fell into a room with several bookshelves falling on me. The only sources of light there were the hole I came through and the moonlight coming through the windows. It must have been a records warehouse, as it was too small to be a library.

I struggled against the shelves until I was clear of them before hearing footsteps approaching. I jumped into the darkest place and waited.

Ragna entered the room cautiously. His hands gripped the mallet he wielded.

I moved between the bookshelves, silently stalking him as I prepared my next attack. I jumped on him as he spun around, using his weapon to block my claws aimed at his neck.

"Look at you," Ragna muttered. "You are quite a monster. You make killing yourself so easy to do."

With a quick twist, Ragna manages to get me to let go before swinging his sledgehammer again, hitting me again with great force that knocks me through another wall (another reason to be annoyed with Lionheart: it looks like he hasn't checked the state of the walls of that building).

Another empty room. It had to be a common warehouse and running because of the amount of boxes, dusty monitors, and other junk left inside.

I stood up, driven by consuming anger, when I saw what must be pieces of glass on which I was standing. As much as it made me nauseous, I agreed with Ragna: I was a monster. A dense layer of dark aura covered my body, barely showing my facial features. My dark eyes had a crimson glow that could be seen in such darkness. A feeling came back to me. One that I felt the first time I manifested my aura: I was afraid of myself.

As if this thought triggered something, the force I felt earlier dissipated and I fell to my knees on the floor with the glass cutting my palms, so my protection aura must have collapsed. I hardly crawled towards the wall where the windows were as Ragna's footsteps slowly approached. My muscles screamed in pain. I was drenched in sweat. Every breath was like my throat was covered in pins. If I didn't do something, I was going to die.

As I could, I put some coffee beans in my mouth and chewed them while doing my breathing exercises that Winter taught me, but that was difficult as I could not calm my mind.

The building shook for an instant and not because I had broken through another wall. It must be something else. What the hell was going on down there? I wanted to go help, but there was nothing I could do in my state.

"Wow, you came back," Ragna peered through the hole in the wall and entered cautiously. "Honestly, it doesn't matter how you look as long as I can kill you."

"Why so obsessed with me? It's not my fault what happened to you."

"No, but it's your mother's fault. Because of her, I didn't have a father. Because of her, my mother hated me for looking like him. Because of her, my mother locked me in the same room where she hung herself. As you see, I can no longer have my revenge on her, but here you are in her place. "

"You are a sad guy," I mused.

"Excuse me?"

"You blame everything on one person instead of taking charge of your life and rectifying it."

"Says who killed a Soul Reaper for the same reason."

"And I almost lost everything for it. I lost my life. My friends. My life. Everything. Remember your grandfather's words. You still have time. No matter what Salem promises you, it won't be worth so many lives that have been lost. "

"Let me think about it," he said, fading his weapon in a red flash and raising both palms up. "Power against Righteousness."

Then one of the hands begins to drop dramatically to the ground.

"Power is victorious." With another flash, the scimitar from earlier appeared, "I don't know about you, but for me that's more than enough."

Ragna was already shaping up to stab me with the sword when a sound interrupted the scene. Outside the building a siren was heard accompanied by a beam of light that illuminated the room for an instant as it swept around the outside of the building.

"Adam Taurus, this is Mistral Police Force. Drop your weapons and surrender peacefully."

All of that took me by surprise. I already had a suspicion that Adam Taurus would be there, just as he had been involved in the downfall of Beacon, but I didn't expect the Mistral police to be there too, as we hadn't even made contact with them or warned about the possible attack on Haven at all, since we didn't know who we could trust. However, I was relieved to learn that the cavalry had arrived, unexpected as it was.

"Tsk, what a bother," Ragna complained. He raised his sword and pointed it at me. "Okay, let's get this over with. Any last words?"

"Yes," I exhaled, prepared for what was to come next. "Lights up."

My right hand moved quickly, tossing the fire dust crystal that I discreetly pulled out of my pocket at him, and the other one drawing Samaritan out of its holster and firing. The moment the bullet hit the object, a fireball lit up the room and covered the distance that separated us. Using the force of the blast, I leapt out the window and concentrated all the aura I could recover to survive the fall, which I could barely recover while Ragna gave his villain monologue. The concrete received me harshly as I tumbled and rolled on its cold surface. As quickly as I had regained my aura protection, it was gone again, but at least I was still alive for the moment. Or at least that was the moment until I heard a voice.

"KAIDEN!"

"Blake?" I turned around, recognizing the voice at the same time that I was surprised that she was there that night too. Someone ran up to me and grabbed me. I thought it was her, until I felt my body tense and a cold sensation was born in my belly that began to burn.

"Nice to see you tonight. There's no roof to throw on me now."

The figure stepped back and the feeling from before turned to one of great pain as the red edge of a sword that was stuck in me was quickly pulled out and I fell to the ground with blood pouring from my wound. My mouth was filled with the taste of blood while my hands were staining red in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Back off, Taurus," I heard Ragan speak. "Remember our deal. Noir is mine."

"We had some unfinished business. I can already say we're the same now. You can do whatever you want with him," Adam said, kicking me hard and feeling my body roll inertly.

My vision was beginning to blur, barely making out Ragna's silhouette looming over me with a crooked smile, "Seeing you like that is how I wanted your last moments to be. Now there is no one to save you. Please tell my grandfather that it was all in vain. "

Ragna raised his sword, ready for a coup de grace. Time seemed to slow down. I had to get out of there. I had to move. I had to do something. But my body was barely responding. I couldn't just fly away.

A thought crossed my mind and I bet everything on it. If it worked, maybe it would save me a few more seconds of life, but if not, it's all over. I held on to the small glimmer of awareness that remained and concentrated on my sword. I tried harder until I felt that connection. It was like fishing in a huge lake where there was only one fish. I barely felt anything as I quickly thought of pulling the mental reel, hearing it flying towards me, cutting the air like an arrow, until it passed over us. In a desperate attempt, I fired the cable from my gauntlet until I felt it tighten and my body being pulled from the ground and then falling. I braced myself for the impact, but instead arms caught me and carefully placed me on the ground.

"You're okay, buddy. You're safe. MEDIC!"

I couldn't see well anymore, but I recognized Sun Wukong's voice.

"Stay with us, Kaiden. Just hang on."

"Blake...," I whispered, struggling to lift my hand toward the source of those words. Tiredness got the better of me, but my hand didn't fall as it was caught by another and squeezed it tightly.

"Yes, here I am," I heard her voice cracking. "Don't talk. Keep your strength."

Several more hands roamed my body, checking around the wound and starting to give first aid. I could only feel what they were doing to me, but I could no longer feel pain or discomfort, as if my whole body was slowly shutting down and preparing to die.

"Give him back, Blake," Adam spoke. "His life belongs to Ragna. As much as I hate working with a human, that's the price for his help."

Blake stood up and I heard the metal being drawn, "Never. Kaiden is very important to me. He is my friend and part of my family."

"Same with me," Sun added. "If you want it, it will have to pass over us."

"Hah, so be it," Ragna scoffed.

The silence was intense until the sound of metal echoed in my dying ears. The feeling of helplessness returned, knowing that Blake and Sun faced two adversaries too strong for them just to protect me. I hated being the one saved. I didn't want anyone to sacrifice their life for me. Alice did that and paid the price with the Soul Reaper. Pyrrha died because of me losing my eye on Beacon. Weiss had been badly injured when I couldn't help it. I couldn't lose anyone else.

'How many more times will you continue to torment yourself?' a voice spoke to me.

'Pyrrha?'

'What happened was not your fault. Cinder was too much for us, but we both knew it and still decided to fight to the end. It's time to leave the regret and move forward. There are people waiting for your return.'

Several faces passed before my eyes: my grandmother, Ishi, Yumi, Oren, Mary, my father, Winter. They still awaited my return. There were also those who were fighting that night: Qrow, Oscar, Ren, Nora, Jaune, Blake, Yang, Weiss, Ruby. Thinking of them made my heart ache.

'But you died.'

'Yes, but not you. As long as you still have breath, you can still fight. Just calm your mind and you will find your answer.'

'How are you so sure I will make it?'

'Because I know you. You are capable of many incredible things. It's one of the things that I liked about you. '

'Pyrrha, are you real or is it just an hallucination of my dying mind?'

Even without seeing the girl, I could feel that she was smiling, 'What do you think?'

Honestly, I didn't care. Even if my friend's spirit was speaking to me or not, she was right about one thing: I had to leave the guilt behind. After several months of dealing with it, I finally felt the weight on my shoulders sagging. I think he just needed her words to get over it.

'I think it's not my time yet.'

'That's a good idea. Like Yang said, it's time to kick some butt. '

'Oh yeah.'

Little by little my body was covered with a warmth similar to that of before, but this was not like that of a wildfire, but it was like a soft flame around me. New energies were filling me and the wound in my abdomen was no longer felt. I opened my eyes and the night sky greeted me with a fighting serenade in the air. Blake and Sun barely managed to keep Ragna and Adam at bay, but they wouldn't last long.

My body moved by itself. Not by killer instinct like before, but rather by acting just how I wanted. With a swift movement I stood up and watched the fight. Blake and Sun were doing their best to keep Ragna and Adam away, but I could see that they could barely maintain control as they dodged and fought back at every opportunity. I pointed my gauntlets at them and launched my cables that clung to them and pulled them towards me at a safe distance from their adversaries. Both sides stared at me sharply in surprise, though only one was glad to see me standing.

"Kaiden?" Blake called me.

I went to see my friend. She was the same as when I last saw her, although now she was wearing a long white tailcoat with black crop top underneath. Her black bow was gone and kitty ears were now visible to anyone who looked at her, so what I saw in my vision at Arumatsuri was true.

I pulled out my scroll and typed a quick message for her to see, telling her that I couldn't speak and to let me deal with those two.

"Are you sure? What about your wound?"

I lifted my shirt and removed the bandage, showing that the Overdrive's accelerated healing factor had already done its part, sealing the wound as if it had never existed and leaving only a bloodstain.

"We better give him his space," Sun advised her.

"But..."

"If he says that he will take care of everything, I believe him. The last time I saw him like this, he destroyed a Soul Reaper."

Blake looked at me, concern in his amber eyes, "Will the same thing happen? When this is over, you ..."

I understood the reason for her concern. To her, when I used the Overdrive at full power, I died, which is why I shook my head and gave her a confident smile in an unspoken promise that everything would be fine.

It was when the two faunus withdrew that I realized something. A huge group of people were gathered that night around Haven's main square, and they were all Faunus armed, whether with clubs, hammers, or farm pitchforks. There were so many types, from one with fur ears to one with ram's horns. Had Blake taken them there? Would they defend Mistral alongside us? I was hoping so, because we would need all the help possible.

"How is this possible?" Ragna exclaimed in bewilderment. "You must be bleeding to death right now."

I just shrugged, mainly to annoy him. This seemed to hit the nail on the head as he quickly lunged for me with his scimitar raised high, which I parried smoothly. His movements were quick, but I had no problem seeing them in detail. My mind processed all the information at high speed, allowing me to see the path of the sword at the same time that I reacted. Adam joined the next second with several quick slashes that I was able to block before backing off and taking distance.

It was better than I expected. My body felt light, but I didn't know how long I could hold it. My deduction about having constant breathing was half correct, as I not only had to keep it steady, but I had to speed it up if I had to move fast and attack to compensate for the effort and wouldn't speak since it could break my respiration. However, I had finally found the missing piece: a calm mind. Every time I'd tried, my head was always in a scramble every time I wanted to get into that mode, with thoughts about killing my adversary and preventing someone else's death. But now I was calmer, putting that aside and concentrating on what was in front of me. As Yumi once said: A sound mind dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.

"I thought you said he was going to be easy to deal with," Adam chided Ragna.

"And another with that. He's different somehow. Now it doesn't seem like he's being guided by instinct. I only saw him like this once and the power he had was something else."

"Then we have to get rid of him as soon as possible."

They both took position. On the other hand, I took my mask that hung from my belt as a keychain and put it on. It wouldn't be of much use, but at least it'll keep me from losing another eye. I held onto Requiem tightly and was about to do the same to Samaritan before realizing I'd lost it in the blast, so I grabbed my sword sheath instead and tried something. At one end a dark blade began to form into the shape I had seen so many times with Ruby and Qrow: a scythe.

**[Play "Hero", Jeff Williams]**

This was me finally mastering the power that I'd feared to unleash at full power.

This time I would be that character that Qrow told me about several times in his stories. Now I would be the one who would protect whoever needed it. Mistral would not fall that night. Not now that I was there.

I may not be a hero, but I am the Grimm Reaper.

'Ready, Req?'

'It depends. Will you go crazy again and leave me pinned to a door? '

'Of course not. Now it will be different. '

'So I have no objections. Time to kick some culos.'

My feet moved quickly, covering the distance that separated us in a few seconds. Neither of them seemed to take the first step until they both came out to meet me and attacked at the same time. Our blades collided with fury and I took that split second to counterattack, though I was also repelled on both sides.

I had seldom fought two-on-one, even during combat classes at Beacon, but it was really hard to keep an eye on one while fighting the other. Fortunately, I had Requiem to warn me when one was going to attack me from behind, but even so, the effort was a lot. However, I couldn't back down now. Those two were two adversaries that I have waited to face.

My body moved with precision. Each attack went as I wanted and my weapons danced in my hands with agility. Even the makeshift scythe was easy to use despite the fact that he had to maintain contact or else the dark blade made of aura would vanish. Maybe it was overdrive, but I felt better than ever. However, I couldn't get carried away by it, since the last time I did it in a similar situation, things didn't end well.

The fight grew intense by the second. I managed to combine my semblance with my attacks more easily, even if they were dodged by my opponents. I made a breakthrough when Requiem slammed into the scimitar, my sword barely managing to communicate with the intelligence within, letting it know our relationship with Muramasa. For the next time our blades met, the sword snapped on first contact.

"What the fuck?" Ragna could barely say before I kicked him in the face.

For a second I was pleased with myself, but Adam attacked from behind. I was able to avoid being pierced by his katana once again, but it still gave me a deep gash in the side. The pain was sharp, but I couldn't neglect my breathing. My aura would take care of closing the wound, but I lost blood and felt a slight dizziness. I had to concentrate; I would rest once I subdued those two.

Adam seemed to want to repeat his feat, his attacks getting faster and stronger with each strike. I was concentrating on this when Ragna jumped on me with a kopesh in his hands, the tip of which ripped my back from my left shoulder blade to the right side of my waist. I clenched my teeth, in an effort to endure the pain as I kept pace with my breathing, and pushed back the attack.

Both opponents kept attacking mercilessly, barely coping with being able to deal with both at the same time. However, I could notice something curious. Even though the two jerks were hell-bent on killing me, they made no effort to work together. There was no coordination or communication between the two, so there was always an opening that I could use to dodge or counter. Even when I was fighting as a team with one of my friends we always gave each other signals to coordinate our movements, which the two of them didn't share at all.

"Watch out!" I heard Blake yell at me.

"I've had enough of this," Adam mutterd, who leaped away and sheathed his sword. I had deja vu at the time, which took me back to that night at Beacon. It was that time that he adopted the same position before launching that heavy attack.

I ran to him and braced myself for what was next. I could barely see the fleeting glow of his katana being drawn at high speed with a wave of energy advancing at chilling speed. I don't know if it was from the Overdrive or maybe the adrenaline, but I could feel just when the attack was in front of me, forcing me to stop my breathing for an instant when I became smoke and the wave passed through my ethereal body. I returned to my form when I felt that the attack had already passed with the sound of metal falling to the ground behind me. I couldn't turn to see what had happened as I regulated my breathing to maintain the Overdrive as I got closer to Adam.

The faunus seemed stunned for an instant, perhaps from suddenly releasing so much energy. I threw Requiem towards him, who deflected it smoothly but giving me enough time to get as close as possible. By the time I was right in front of him, he launched a downward slash on me, which I narrowly evaded with a quick step to the side and focusing my aura on my right fist.

'This is for Yang,' I thought as I hit him with an uppercut that lifted him off the ground before I pulled on the wire from my left gauntlet and refocused my aura on my free hand.

'And this is for Blake,' I conveyed that thought in the punch that landed squarely on the chest, which sent him several feet and landed close to Blake, who had her revenge on her ex with a heavy hit to the back.

Adam stumbled and yelled "KILL THEM !"

I didn't understand who he was talking to until I heard several shots. Apparently I had forgotten the members of the White Fang who had planned the collapse of the communications tower, who began to shoot at the aircraft flying overhead and the chaos reigned in the place again to the disastrous melody of combat as the armed faunus pounced on their white-robed counterparts in an attempt to stop them. Sun and Blake joined them. On the other side was a dark skinned girl with a type of whip subduing several soldiers with agility.

With a scream of fury, Ragna leapt on me and tried to stab me with another weapon, one I recognized instantly.

"Are you familiar with this one?" he said maliciously. "The same one that took your eye off. This time I'll use it to kill you."

Longinus' blade swooped down with great speed in several attempts to stab me. The reddish grip with details of the same color shone like the last time I saw it. No matter the cost, I would get that weapon back.

I let go of my sword hilt, its blade made of aura fading, before catching the spear by one end and holding onto it. It seemed that I had caught Ragna in a tight spot, as he had two options: keep Longinus out with me by holding on or vanish the weapon and be exposed to being beaten before he could call for the next one.

We engage in a deadly game of rope pulling, exchanging punches and kicks endlessly. Before I could call Requiem or use my semblance, Ragna would stop me, forcing me to defend myself. Even so, he didn't draw another weapon, so I deduced that he could only summon one at a time.

"Why are you trying so hard to stay alive?" Ragna snapped at me. "Why don't you die already?"

Seeing him in that state of fury made me realize something: if I had followed another path, I would end up like him. If I had not stayed in a good family to take care of me. If I hadn't had Qrow to guide me. If I hadn't had Ruby and the others to give me a reason to live. Ragna had nothing of that with his mother rejecting him and taking out his fury to the point of murdering his grandfather who had taken him in. He had no one to advise him and teach him to heal his emotional wounds. He didn't have what I had. As much as I hated him for what he did, I was also saddened by what had happened to him.

"Stop looking at me with those eyes!" he roared in anger. "Stop looking at me like that damn Alice Noir!"

As if that name detonated something, some electric arcs enveloped the spear, but these did not affect me but ran the weapon towards Ragna's hand, causing him to lose his grip and be thrown backwards.

'Don't curse Alice's name, punk,' a voice spoke inside my head.

'Longinus?' I thought, surprised with the spear still in hand.

'Quick. The mark in is on the pommel.'

I checked the other end of the spear, where the color was different from the rest of the weapon. It had a texture and tonality that contrasted if you paid attention. I didn't think about it anymore and I ran my hand along the edge, making a cut on the palm from which the blood came out and with which I covered the mark.

"Give me that spear," Ragna ordered me, recovering from the electric shock. "It's mine!"

For many reasons, I did not. Instead I took the spear firmly and held it just as I remembered my mother once did. He stretched his hand towards the spear, but nothing happened, earning a confusing look from my foe.

'My name is Kaiden Noir and I-'

'I know exactly who you are,' Longinus interrupted me. 'You've really grown a lot. Hey, about the eye... '

'Don't worry. It is already in the past. I only ask for your strength to fight. ''

'Against this brat? You don't have to ask for it. You have all my support.'

My first attack was a thrust that Ragna deflected with the mallet he had used earlier, but I followed up with a swipe with the pommel of the weapon a quick spin. With a strong wave, a gale knocked me back before resuming my attacks.

That's when I remembered that I was never good at using a spear even though my mother was teaching me the basics. Even Pyrrha cringed when I tried to use hers once in Beacon. Yet wielding that spear now felt so natural as images of my mother's movements filled my mind like a movie and which I imitated.

I instinctively focused my aura on the spear as he thrust at Ragna, who stopped it with the handle of the sledgehammer, but was still hit hard by a black lightning bolt that hurled him at the ruined facade of the main building and I chased after him because I couldn't let him recover, as I felt like I was starting to reach my limit.

My muscles were already sore. It was a struggle to keep my breath stable with my throat dry and the air irritating me more and more. It was a matter of time before I could no longer maintain the Overdrive for long and the slump in power was so severe along with the blood loss. Before that happened, I had to finish off Ragna.

As if stepping on the accelerator of a car, my body began to use its last strength in a flurry of attacks without mercy without paying attention to anything more than just finishing the fight. Ragna could barely avoid one or the other, but her movements were already beginning to be slow and careless in responding.

In a last-ditch effort, I used Longinus as a pole and kicked him back further, taking advantage of the seconds he would use to recover to place a hand on the ground and unleash a strong current of darkness that emerged from under him and which threw him towards the ceiling. I followed him using the cables from my gauntlets to ascend to our meeting point several meters above the ground, where I delivered another heavy blow to send him back to earth.

While we were both still in the air, I held Longinus tightly and raised my free arm with a raised thumb, using it to point right at his chest. I focused my aura on the spear and threw it as fast as I could. My ears pounded as I heard a crash as loud as thunder as a black lightning plunged to the ground.

Now you're wondering if I made a superhero landing and I'll say bet your butt did, even though it was bad for the knees. I fell hard, feeling the ground breaking beneath me and looked up at what I hoped was Ragna impaled, yet I found something else.

Several meters away the boy was writhing in pain with half of his left arm resting on the other side of the place. The stump's flesh was seared from the latest attack, so he was lucky he wasn't bleeding out. I wondered if my aim had failed until I saw the mace he wielded earlier, now split in two. He had used it to shield himself from the spear, but in the end he could only deflect it into his arm.

**[Song ends]**

"That's enough!" Ruby exclaimed, pointing her rifle at Emerald, Mercury, and the big man. "Just give up."

Almost everyone was there. I even felt great joy to see Weiss well; If we were not in middle of a fight against those thugs, I would run to hug her. However, Yang was not present and that worried me.

"AAAAGH!" Ragna roared, smashing her single fist to the ground. "This is not over! I will kill you!"

"Cinder will return and she will have the relic!" Emerald warned. "She will stop all of you! She will not disappoint us."

Then, at one end of the room, a sound was coming from a gap that Lionheart must have activated like some kind of elevator. I got on my guard and retrieved Longinus with a gauntlet cord and called out to Requiem, who scolded and cursed me for having him abandoned in a bush, but I didn't pay attention.

My worst thought was that Cinder was back and I would have to hold out a bit longer for the next fight, but that didn't happen when I saw my favorite blonde rising and, with her, was Haven's relic; a type of lamp with a blue ball adorned with gold details.

I could see the disappointment on Emerald's face and I didn't blame her. Her savior hadn't returned and Yang hadn't, so that could mean one thing: Cinder had been defeated. I was disappointed that I wasn't the one who killed the fake Fall Maiden, but I was glad that Yang was back.

Emerald fell to her knees, cradling her broken arm and tears streaming down her face. I felt bad for her, having been disappointed by Cinder, but now it was left to put everyone under arrest.

"Emerald, get up. We need to go," Mercury told her, slowly walking backward. The big man did the same along with Ragna, whose face was beaded with sweat but his gaze glared at me with hatred.

I wasn't going to let them go. They had to pay for what they did to all of us and to the lives they ruined and destroyed. Cinder or no Cinder, they were going to be punished.

Emerald's breathing became harsh with desperation in her eyes that looked all over the place for some salvation but without success. Then, with a yell, the world went dark.

The feeling was the same as that time. The dizziness and buzzing inside my head returned with the illusion of the girl encompassing my senses.

'Req, dispel this illusion.'

'I can't. It is too strong. More than the other times. '

In front of me, a cluster of darkness began to emerge from the ground like mist until it began to take a shape that was familiar to me. The same black clothes. Same pale face with dark veins, black eyes with red irises. Her arms, hands, and fingers wriggled as if she had no bones, just like worms. The mouth fell open and from it came a shocking scream that made me feel that my blood was freezing before the illusion rushed over us and everything went black.

By the time I opened my eyes, the illusion had already faded and Ragna had escaped with the rest of the cronies.

"Wha... what was that ?!" Blake exclaimed in alarm.

"An illusion," Ozpin spoke. "But an imprecise one. That was Salem."

Suddenly my body collapsed. My breathing had been interrupted for a long time, so the Overdrive could no longer continue. I felt sore and really tired, like I had carried a boulder the whole time. I took off my mask and a stream of sweat fell to the ground with the night breeze cooling my face. I could barely hold onto Longinus until Ruby ran towards me.

"Kaiden! Are you okay?!"

"Yes," I could barely reply in a raspy voice, "I used too much energy but everything is fine."

Contradicting my words, I lost my grip on the spear and fell to the ground, but Ruby caught me in time.

"It's ok. It's all over now."

"Is everyone okay? Weiss-..."

"She is fine. Jaune healed her with his semblance. We are all fine."

"His semblance? Hehe, better late than never. Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"Gather Ragna's weapons. They have to be returned to Muramasa. I'll take care of the rest."

"Don't worry. I will. For now, rest."

"I think a nap is fine. Hey..."

"Yes?"

"Did you see Blake come back?"

Ruby giggled, "Yeah, we're together now."

"Yeah, I just hope she and Yang don't paint my nails while I'm out."

"I'll make sure they don't."

"Thanks... see you in the morning," was the last thing I could say as I felt heavy eyelids and exhaustion claiming me, with the soft smell of roses lulling me to sleep.


	15. Small Breath

Chapter 15: Small breath

-o-

It was a relief to see a familiar ceiling by the time I woke up. I felt a little lethargic, but only that. No fever or body so sore that you can't raise my hand. I think the only annoyance was the light coming through the window, which was open and allowing a gentle breeze to was the room I shared with Oscar and Qrow, seeing the clothes I could see in the closet, but usually I slept on a futon and not on Qrow's bed.

There was someone else in the room besides me. Someone was arranging a vase of flowers on a desk. Mostly I could see soft dark hair that descended gently and on top I could see cat ears that made me want to pet them. She hummed a soft song as she arranged the flowers in the vase so that they were as presentable as possible.

"Blake?" I spoke, but my voice sounded raspy.

The cat ears perked up hearing my voice and the girl turned to see me. Those big amber eyes looked at me in surprise before she ran to me.

"You finally woke up," she said cheerfully, pouncing on me for a big hug, which I responded in kind. Then she pulled away suddenly, "Excuse me. You may be a little sore."

"No. Actually, I feel fine," I replied feeling my throat dry.

"Let me get you some water," she told me, heading over to the desk and filling a glass with the pitcher that was beside it. It was so good to feel the liquid rehydrating my throat.

"Thanks," I said, returning the glass. "How long was I gone?"

"A day and a half. It's almost 2 in the afternoon," Blake informed me, putting the glass on the table and sitting on the bed.

"Good thing I didn't stay in bed for a whole week like that time."

"What happened?"

"Well... let's say I found out about a thing when I was at Ruby's house in Patch. I got out of control and the Overdrive made me sick with aura deficiency, so I was in bed for a week with a fever."

"Oh, was it about Alice being your mother and Ironwood being your father?"

"Who told you?"

"Ruby."

"Well at least this time I was able to control it better in the end."

"Everyone keeps moving forward," she said with a wistful look that then turned sad. "Kaiden, I'm so sorry."

For a moment I didn't understand what she meant, until I remembered, "Blake, you don't have to. You did what you thought was right to protect us from Adam."

"But I left without saying anything to you," she replied with tears in her eyes. "Didn't even make sure you guys were safe. As soon as we got to Vale I left. I couldn't bear to see you and Yang hurt because of me."

"Listen to me well," I took her by the hand, "nothing that was your fault. Neither Adam nor Yang. It doesn't matter what happened, but how we become strong with that. Besides, this was not done to me by Adam, but by Ragna. And to tell the truth, I have no right to judge you for what happened, since I did the same as you. "

"What do you mean?"

"I imagine Qrow and Ozpin already brought you up to speed on everything."

"You mean about the maidens, the relics and Salem? Yes. Although hearing it from Oscar with the professor's voice was somewhat unsettling."

"Tell me about it. When that boy arrived he arrived a month ago, we almost lynched him. Well, putting that aside, all you know now I knew the part about the maidens during the Vytal festival from Ozpin himself, plus I was there when Pyrrha was offered Fall's position. "

"Pyrrha was going to be the Fall Maiden?" Blake exclaimed, shocked.

"And it was my duty that she was okay, which I failed to do. After my brief moment of madness in Patch after who my parents were, Qrow gave me a look at the whole picture and honestly, I was terrified."

"It's normal to be afraid of hearing that."

"Yeah, but I was also afraid for everyone. After what happened, I didn't want to drag anyone into this. Yang was broken and didn't want Ruby to get involved, so I went to Atlas on my own to settle some unfinished business. "

"You mean see Irondaddy?"

"Have you been talking to Qrow?" Blake just shrugged, to which I continued, "Well, I spoke to the General to ask for an arm for Yang and my eye repaired, I met Weiss and then I embarked to Mistral, in addition to repairing Requiem and I found Ruby and the boys on the way. "

"You had an interesting trip," Blake breathed, her gaze fixed on the scar on my eye. "I'm glad you're okay now."

"The miracles of Atlas's cutting-edge technology."

"So you took advantage of being the General's son?"

"When you say it that way, you make me look like Weiss in the early days."

As soon as I said that name, I remembered what had happened before. Weiss being impaled by Cinder's spear.

"Weiss is fine. Everyone is fine," Blake informed me, apparently out of my very obvious concern. "Apparently, Jaune has the ability to amplify the aura of others by transferring a bit of her own. As a result, Weiss was able to heal her wounds."

That made me feel a great relief as I lay down on the bed. Weiss was fine. Blake was back with us. I felt such intense joy that I felt it overflow from my eyes.

"Kaiden?" Blake sounded concerned.

"Sorry, it's just that I feel really happy that everyone is well and that you are here. That I have not lost anyone again and we are all together again."

"I also feel the same way. I felt terrified when Adam pierced you with his sword. It was like in Beacon. But then I felt a little hope when you woke up wrapped in your aura and saw you fight even with Ragna and Adam. It was like a reminder of how you are: getting up strong after hitting rock bottom."

"Just because I knew you were there with me," I replied, once again glad that my friend was there.

It was a really nice feeling. Blake was there. We were all together already. For a moment it felt like the good morning in Beacon after the Soul Reaper and Torchwick getting caught. During those next few weeks before the Vytal festival they felt I just wanted to cook longer with Ruby and the others. It might not be the same at the time, but the feeling was similar.

Someone knocked on the door and Blake answered.

"Blake, darling, everything okay? I thought you would be putting the flowers soon," a woman spoke, but I couldn't see well since the door was in the middle.

"Kali, give her her time. She wants to be with her friend," a man spoke as well.

"Actually, he's already woken up. Do you want to meet him?"

The door swung open, allowing me to see the visitors. One is a tall, muscular man with dark hair and a thick beard. For his top, he wears an open dark-violet coat with white fur trim, exposing his hairy chest. Over his beige pants is a matching sash that wraps around his waist and is secured with a large, silver metal buckle. On the shoulder of his coat is a silver metal spaulder, which through a pair of curved strips across the chest attaches as a clasp on the opposite front panel of the coat.

The other was a woman, whose resemblance to Blake astonished me; even their cat ears were similar except for the earrings on the woman's. While Blake had long dark hair, the woman opted for a short one of the same color. She wore a black hakama and sandals with white tabi socks. Over her outfit, she wore a black shrug with a long right sleeve and a short left sleeve, gold-leaf trim adorning the opening on the front.

"Kaiden, my parents: Ghira and Kali Belladonna. Mom, Dad, you already know Kaiden."

"Sure we do," Ghira replied, watching me closely. "The boy who was impaled by Adam and who then beat him and another on his own."

I felt a little embarrassed that that was my first impression, "Nice meeting you, sir."

"Blake has told us so much about you that it's like you're family now."

"I hope they were good things, because I also have a few curious stories about her," I said, giving my friend a mischievous smile.

"I want to hear those and what better way to do it than with a good meal," Kali proposed kindly. "Lunch is ready now, how about I serve you a plate while you tell us."

I enjoyed the fear in my friend's eyes when I said, "Food and snitching on Blake. How can I say no to that?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They gave me time to dress appropriately, because, except for a T-shirt and the boxers I was wearing, there was nothing else under the sheet to cover me.

I had already put my jeans on when they knocked on the door again, which I indicated they could enter.

"I see you feel better."

I turned to look as soon as I heard her voice. There was Weiss, alive and well. I could only think of those horrible moments when she was on the brink of death from being impaled by Cinder.

"Weiss ..."

"I brought you your cape," she indicated with the neatly folded piece of dark cloth in her hands. "I had a bit of trouble getting my blood out, but it's like new."

Without saying anything, I walked over to her, taking my cloak to put it aside on the bed and hugging her tightly.

"I was very scared of losing you too," I exhaled in anguish.

Weiss stroked my hair, "I was scared too. I could hear you and Jaune from afar as if I were in a tangle and I couldn't respond. The good thing is that Jaune was finally useful and discovered her semblance."

"Yeah, I still can't believe that," I wiped my eyes. "But are you okay?"

"All good. What about you? First you were kicking Ragna's ass with the Overdrive and then you collapsed after that Salem illusion."

"Yeah well I think the blood loss and then using the Overdrive twice in less than 1 hour was too much for me."

"Oh yeah, they already told me about that. Nora says you freaked out when I ...," Weiss stopped in mid-sentence, but I knew what he meant.

"When I saw you fall, I remembered Pyrrha. When Cinder put that arrow through her. I couldn't bear to see anyone else die in front of me, so I lost control." I took a deep breath, "But everything's fine now. You're here and so is Blake. For me that's a small victory. How are the others?"

"They're fine. Ruby, Jaune, and Jaune went out with Qrow and Oscar to Mistral to inspect the academy. Yang went out to buy some stuff for her bicycle. Ren and Nora went out for a walk. I think you already know Blake's parents."

"Yes, they are good people."

"Plus they brought in half the Menagerie to help defend Mistral."

"I see. And how are things between Yang and Blake?"

"Well, at first they were a little uncomfortable until they sat down to talk. There are still some wounds to heal, but there will be time now that we are together again."

"I just want her not to be too hard on herself. She blames herself for what happened to Yang and for leaving."

"The good thing is that her parents help her to recover. By the way, the food is ready."

"After you," I stated as I pulled on some dark blue slippers.

As soon as we stepped out into the hall, my sense of smell was flooded with a scent that finally made my stomach ache for the day and a half I hadn't eaten. Don't think bad of me. The food during our stay at the house has been good, regardless of who is cooking, but what I was smelling was on another level.

We made it to the kitchen, where Kali and Blake were putting the finishing touches on the food, accompanied by someone else: Sun.

"Oh, they are here," Kali said as she stirred the contents of a large pot. "Sun dear, can you set the table?"

"Sure, Mrs. B," the cute boy replied energetically. "What's up, Kaiden?"

"How have you been, Sun?" I greeted him by bumping fists.

"Between escorting Blake to the Menagerie and bringing in an entire armed force of faunus to defend Mistral? Great."

"Escort?" Blake exclaimed. "You followed me on the sly until I found you in the boat on the way."

"But I helped you take down the Sea Feilong that attacked then," Sun objected, taking several plates, glasses and silverware that were on the cabinets.

"Let me help you," I offered but suddenly several copies of the boy materialized, taking the items, and carrying them to the dining room.

"I'll take care of it," he replied, taking the jug of water.

"Have a seat and the food will be on in a moment," Blake pointed out as he finished chopping up some vegetables.

I wanted to help them with something, but neither would be rude when arguing, so I did what I was told and went to the dining room, where a girl was checking her scroll. Her skin had somewhat darker spots on her arms, legs, stomach and face, resembling chameleon scales, with her brown hair tied back in a ponytail that curls at the end like a chameleon's tail, and her eyes are a light gray with a faintly bluish tint. She was wearing a short black cropped jacket with two tails, a gold zipper, buckle, button straps to keep the sleeves rolled up in place revealing the white lining with brown pants and black over ankle boots.

"Kaiden, this is Illia, a friend of mine," Blake introduced the girl.

"A pleasure," I greeted with a nod.

"Same."

"Watch it, Kaiden," Sun warned, setting down a bowl of salad and then lifting the left side of her shirt to reveal a circular scar. "If you are careless for a second, she will stab you."

"Did you stab him?" I questioned her in surprise, to which she responded by nodding, embarrassed. "I've only known you for a minute but I already like you."

"Then will you help me to do it again?" Illia said with a smug grin directed at Sun.

"Just say the place and time."

"Good. They're both already planning attacks on me."

"By the way, where are your other babysitters?" I asked, surprised that the monkey faunus was alone and not with her team.

"Well, it's a funny story-" Sun was already starting to say when she heard the front door closing.

"We are here!" Ruby's voice announced.

As if it were a call to me, I quickly stood up and headed towards the room. The girl and Jaune had arrived, with the latter setting aside a huge sack that seemed to be containing something metallic from the sound it made as it settled on the ground. Along with them were Neptune, Scarlet, and Sage.

The girl's silver eyes lit up and in a blink she was already pouncing on me, her arms around my neck.

"You are awake!" she exclaimed with glee.

"I just woke up. I'm glad everyone is okay." I turned to see Jaune, "Hi Mercy. They already told me about your great discovery."

"Mercy?"

"You are blond, your armor is white, and now you have an ability that allows you to heal others. You are Mercy."

"Great, another nickname."

"Yeah, putting the jokes aside, congratulations."

"It just appeared suddenly. I just wanted to heal Weiss and it happened. Obviously it was nothing compared to you freaking out with the Overdrive and then taking over like a badass."

"Look who we meet at the academy," Ruby gestured at the boys as she slid off me.

"What's up, Neptune?" I greeted the blu haired guy.

"Good to see you again, friend," he returned the greeting. "By the way, haven't you seen a certain monkey faunus who left his team for several months?"

"He must be in the kitchen- wait, months?"

"I'll explain later," the blue-haired boy told me before marching inside the house. "Wukong! I saw you! Don't you dare run away again, sir!"

"Months?" I said again.

"It's already a regular thing with him," Scarlet chimed in. "No problem for us, but Neptune becomes acting leader and gets a bit bossy."

"More than usual," Sage added.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Soon the house came alive. After Sun repeatedly apologized to Neptune, with Blake as the go-between and Sage recording everything while Scarlet held back a laughter, Kali invited them to lunch. Later Nora arrived and Ren arrived, then Yang and finally Qrow with Oscar. Due to the number of people, the dining room table was moved to the living room, where we could all settle in and catch up on our lives while we ate.

From what I heard, the entire armed force of faunus that Blake brought in from Menagerie had set up camp outside of Mistral as a measure to protect the kingdom in case of another attack. According to the official story, it was thanks to them that the assault was in vain and they were the true heroes, while our group was just passing through and helped with the defense of the academy. Maybe it bothered me a little that they took away the credit, but I figured it was the best to avoid raising doubts about our true motives.

Once the Belladonna, except for their daughter, retired to their camp with Illia, and SSN dragged their leader away, we were able to have a meeting to discuss other more private matters. Apparently Blake had already been informed of the group secret.

"Alright, since Dark Boy is up and we're all reunited, we can catch up on what we know so far," Qrow announced.

"What is the current situation of the academy?" Ren asked.

"The council is working on finding a replacement for Lionheart while rebuilding work begins."

"Yeah, we did a good number on the front of the main building," Nora commented, more satisfied than sorry. "Let's not forget that Kaiden blew up a corner upstairs."

"I did what I had to do to gain distance from Ragna," I objected. "Could you get something out of Lionheart yet?"

They all looked at me in alarm for some reason I didn't know, as if I had just insulted everyone's grandmother.

"Get something out?" Yang replied.

"Information, sure. Something that can predict Salem's next play."

"Didn't you tell him?" Jaune asked the others.

"Tell me what?"

"Kai," Ruby's face clouded, "Lionheart is dead. They found him in his office with stab marks."

A deathly silence fell in the room. For a second I felt my heart stop beating.

"What? How? Was it Cinder?"

"We don't know," Qrow replied. "Everyone we fought was in our sight when Leo escaped. The only thing we can speculate is that someone working behind the scenes was the assassin. However, in order not to taint the growing acceptance of the faunus in the kingdom, the official story is that died defending the academy. "

I was frustrated. The man who had betrayed us and who was one of the culprits of what happened in Beacon died without giving us answers. If that wasn't enough, he would be a fucking martyr.

I took a deep breath and rubbed my eyes, exasperated, "Now what's next?"

"The relic must be taken to a safe place. In this case: Atlas."

"Atlas?" Ruby repeated.

"That's what Oz said."

Then we all turned to see our figural Schnee, whose face paled more than it was, "You've got to be joking."

"I mean, bright side, we finally get out of this house," Nora chimed in, earning an irritated sigh from Weiss. I didn't think the white-haired reaction was strange, because of what she told us about everything she had to do to leave the mansion and get away from her father with a Lorax mustache.

"Well trust me, I'm not crazy about it either," Qrow assured, "And, without the Spring Maiden here to seal the relic back in its vault, it's our best option."

"What happened to the Vernal girl?" I inquired. "Isn't she supposed to be the maid?"

Nobody answered.

"Come on, something else you haven't told me?"

"You see, Vernal was another casualty, but wasn't the maiden..."

"It was Raven," Yang declared. "She was all this time. It was the last thing she said to me before she disappeared."

On the one hand, I felt angry at the woman for what she did by siding with Cinder, but I also felt bad for Yang, because her mother had not only left her again, but had also betrayed her. Adding she's the Spring Maiden to the math wasn't good either.

"Atlas may be the safest kingdom we have at the moment, but the borders are closed," Ren changed the topic. "General Ironwood called everyone back."

"Hey, not everyone," the huntsman replied, displaying a hologram of Anima, zooming in on the north shore. "The city of Argus is a way north of us and it's the primary trading port between Anima and Solitas. They've got the largest Atlas military base outside of the kingdom. There's no way they'd leave it abandoned and if we play our cards right. I think there's a good chance we could convince them to escort us straight to Ironwood. "

"I mean, we do have the missing heiress to the Schnee Dust Company," Blake said with a mocking smile directed at Weiss.

"Ex heiress actually. "

"True, true, But if there's a chance of reward money I say we go for it," Yang seemed encouraged as she said that comment, although Weiss was not.

"Plus we have Ironboy with us holding an ID from the R&D department that can also be our ticket to meet with his Irondaddy."

"Qrow, unless you want to have laxatives in your drink, don't call me that."

"Hopefully the first option will suffice," Someone else spoke. Oscar was firmly on his feet, although from his gaze it seemed that Ozpin was present.

"Glad to see you're feeling better," Qrow lo saludó.

"Likewise. Even if we still have much more to do, I'm sure we could all use more time to recover. After using a lot of energy during the fight when my union with Oscar is not complete, I will need a little more to fully regain my energies. I'll only be with you for a few minutes before resting again."

"Professor, what will we do with the relic?" Blake asked. "As long as that thing's out in the open its power could fall into the wrong hands."

"Speaking of..." Jaune chimed in, "What does it do exactly? Qrow never really told us."

Jaune was right. As far as we knew, relics were objects of great power, but nothing else. Qrow didn't even say a word to me about it.

"Of course," Ozpin smirked at us confidently, picking up the object hanging from his belt. "The Relic of Knowledge has a wonderful and incredibly dangerous ability. Its user can ask any question, and the lamp will provide an answer."

The object slowly began to grow as it was placed on the table, where it remained levitating. I recognized the item, as Yang was carrying it when she returned from Haven's vault the other night. It was a type of golden lamp with a blue sphere inside.

"That's incredible," Balke exclaimed, amazed.

"Indeed," Ozpin agreed. "However, it's not without drawbacks. The lamp cannot tell you of events that have yet to happen, and it will only ever answer three questions every 100 years."

"Wow," I sighed, trying to process the data on the relic. "Then it couldn't be used for semester exams."

"I've seen your grades and I know you wouldn't need it. Even Miss Valkyrie, despite falling asleep in every class, according to the reports."

"You know those self-help recordings you listen to while you sleep? It's the same principle," the redhead defended herself.

"Well, I guess that's not so bad if those are the conditions," Yang said. "Adds a lot of pressure, though."

"Then let's put it to a vote!" Nora exclaimed excitedly, looking psychotically at the relic of all knowledge. What should we ask first ?! Can we ask for more questions ?! Can we ask for more questions ?! "

"They're not wishes," Ren scolded the girl.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to ask it anything at the moment," Ozpin explained, earning Nora's anger. "The questions were used before I sealed it away."

"Well, at least now we know what it is," Ruby exhaled, staring at the lamp, "and we'll be sure to keep it safe."

"For as long as I have entrusted Oscar with taking care of the relic," Ozpin told us, picking up the object that began to shrink back to keychain size. "I don't have to remind you of the stakes if we lose it."

We all nodded, agreeing to what he meant. A relic like that had to be of great importance to attack two academies in less than a year.

"Having explained this, I will be away for a while as I regain my energy. Rest until then," was the last thing he said before that personality change occurred that Oscar seemed to experience when the two souls within him switched places.

"You heard the man/boy," Qrow said, setting his coffee cup on the table. "We will be on hold for the time being until Oz is in a position to address Atlas. For the time being, the session is closed."

There was an effect with those words, as if the serious atmosphere faded from the room and everyone could relax with everyone dispersing to their activities.

"Hey, Kaiden. How are you feeling?" Qrow asked me.

"Well, I thought he would fall into a fever and sore like Patch."

"You have the blond boy to thank for that. His semblance was of great use in treating you while you were unconscious."

"It's a shame that nothing could be done for Lionheart, although I don't know if I feel bad about what happened to him."

"Unfortunately fear controlled Leo and made him make unfortunate decisions, but I prefer to hold on to the memory of when he was a good partner who cared about us."

"But still-"

"Rest for now, boy. You put up a great fight, so you deserve some time to relax."

"Not yet. I still have something to do."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The moon was up when I finished digging to the side of the terrace, a little away from the edge that overlooked the mountain. The little shovel I found in the house wasn't going to work for me to make the hole I needed for what followed, so I wanted to try something.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I remembered the feeling back then. I cleared my mind, calming my thoughts as my aura slowly ignited. The Overdrive was back, enveloping me in a dark flame that burned softly.

Concentrating on my face, I used the shadows to excavate a hole of considerable size, which was easier than expected even though they had taken the form of huge hands.

I took out the remains of the weapons that Ruby and Jaune had brought from the academy and carefully placed them inside the hole. Maybe they were already broken, but I wanted to give them a little delicacy that they had when they were in Ragna's hands (although he would only have one now). Then I used the same dark hands to cover the gap.

By dissipating the Overdrive, the fatigue was minimal, perhaps having used it for just a few minutes and only using my semblance, without having to move. I was about to leave when the mound suddenly lowered, as if the weapons that were buried had been sucked into the ground. I assumed they had already been sent to Arumatsuri, where Muramasa would be receiving them and beginning to restore them before sending them back to the world to be found by their new owners. For my part, I was happy about it, hoping each weapon would find someone to wield them rightfully.


End file.
